Who said what - top 4 expert reactions to Virat Kohli's dismissal in 2nd IND vs NZ Test 2024 ft. Ravi Shastri
New Zealand beat India by 113 runs in the second Test of the three-match bilateral series at the MCA Stadium in Pune, Maharashtra on Saturday, October 26. The visitors have now taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in this series, with one match yet to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from November 1. This is India's first series defeat at home since 2012.
One of the biggest reasons why India failed to compete against the Kiwis was the collective failure of their batting unit. Virat Kohli, a mainstay in the side, did not get going in either innings, falling for 1 and 17.
In the first innings, the manner of Kohli's dismissal drew the ire of many supporters, including cricket experts and pundits. Trying to flick a low full toss from Mitchell Santner towards wide of midwicket, Kohli missed the ball completely and got bowled.
We take a look at the top four expert reactions to Kohli's dismissal:
#1 Ravi Shastri
Former India player, coach and commentator Ravi Shastri was on air when the incident took place. Although he was not too critical of his ward playing a poor shot to get out, Shastri did mention how Kohli could have handled it better.
Shastri brought his technical knowledge to the fore and mentioned that Kohli got too far across the line trying to flick the ball away towards wide of midwicket. Instead, he could have played it towards mid-on, Shastri felt.
“Very similar delivery, he could have taken it on the full and hit it towards mid-on. This was an easier ball to put away because this was on the full. Instead, he went far too across. He could have played it with a straighter bat and put it in the gap. It was four for the taking,” Shastri said.
#2 Sanjay Manjrekar
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar took to the social media platform X to express his disappointment with the poor shot Kohli played. The former Mumbai star said that he felt for Kohli.
Manjrekar wrote that Kohli himself would know that he played the 'worst shot of his career' to get out in that innings. The commentator also mentioned that he felt sad for him because Kohli always came out with intent.
“Oh dear! Virat will know himself that he has just played the worst shot of his career to get out. Got to feel for him…coz as always he came out with solid & honest intent (sic),” Manjrekar wrote on X.
#3 Anil Kumble
Former India captain and coach Anil Kumble, who was in the commentary box during lunch on Day 2, was asked about the shot Kohli played to get out to left-arm spinner Santner earlier in the session.
The ace leggie was blunt in his assessment of the situation and called a spade a spade as he usually does. Kumble felt that Kohli could have prepared better by playing a few innings in domestic cricket ahead of this series.
At the same time, Kumble felt the need to mention that playing domestic cricket would not have been the sole way to save Kohli from getting out to spin, indicating a deeper malaise.
"Perhaps just one or two innings in a match situation could have helped. Being in an actual game is definitely more beneficial than just practice; it gives an upper hand," Kumble said.
"If he feels that playing earlier would have benefited him, and the team management agrees, then maybe it would have. However, I don't think we can look at that as the only reason for his struggles against spin," he added.
#4 Dinesh Karthik
Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik echoed Kumble's remarks and mentioned that had Kohli felt the need to work on playing better against spin, he could have played a few domestic matches.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Karthik felt that Kohli would know that he has not been in the best of form of late. However, the Delhi batter is an extraordinary talent who can diagnose his problems and find a solution quickly, according to Karthik.
"It was not a shot that was even close to being executed well. If we look at the whole picture, he has not done well against spin in the past. Yes, he will be the first person to accept that things have not gone his way," said Karthik.
"Now that he is not playing T20 cricket, will he have the time to play a couple of (domestic) matches before going to Australia? I do think that if he feels playing domestic cricket will help him, he should make some time to play the Ranji Trophy so that he can work against spin a lot more," he added.