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Former Indian cricketer and head coach Ravi Shastri stated that Virat Kohli was just unlucky to have lost his wicket to Todd Murphy in the first Test against Australia in Nagpur.
The ace batter caught an edge while trying to fend off a delivery down the leg side and had to walk back to the pavilion on the first delivery after lunch.
Kohli's struggles in red-ball cricket continued as he scored only 12 runs off 26 deliveries in the first innings. He also endured a poor series against Bangladesh in December 2022, with his last Test century coming in 2019.
Shastri, however, was adamant that the former skipper has no issues with his technique and that it was just a rather unlucky dismissal. He said during the Tea break on Day 2:
"That's unlucky. That's strangled down the leg side. I mean once in 50 innings he will get out in that fashion. Let's not talk about technique or an off-spinner getting him out."
Shastri continued:
"Forget all that. He is out, bad luck, but it was the right thing from Australia's point of view because they needed a wicket. Straight up after that, you get the momentum going."
Apart from his poor run of form in Tests, Kohli's approach against spin bowling has also been concerning. He has had issues judging the length, leading to awkward dismissals that do not suit his pedigree.
Kohli averaged just 26.50 in Tests in 2022
While he has stamped his return to form when it comes to white-ball cricket, he is still finding his feet in the longest format.
He scored 265 runs across 11 innings in 2022, out of which five dismissals came against spinners.
The ace batter, on an encouraging note, looked composed and assured against spin bowling during his brief innings on Day 2. He negotiated Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy with a solid approach and was on course for something credible before his unfortunate dismissal.
Will the ace batter be among the runs in the second innings and the rest of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy? Let us know what you think.
Also Read: [WATCH] Suryakumar Yadav bowled by Nathan Lyon for 8 runs in his maiden Test outing
