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Indian captain Rohit Sharma was as stunned as anyone else by Virat Kohli's ill-timed dismissal in the latter's 100th Test. Live cameras caught Rohit putting his hands on his head in disbelief in the pavilion as Kohli was clean-bowled for 45 (76) by a brilliant delivery from Sri Lanka's left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya.
It happened in the 44th over of India's first innings. After a jittery start, Kohli looked settled and poised for a big score. Embuldeniya then flighted one up with a lot of rips and landed it at the perfect in-between length. Although Kohli covered the line and went for the forward defense, the ball spun past his bat to clatter the stumps.
Kohli watched the pitch with wide eyes before taking the long walk back. Here's a video of the same:
Kohli's innings included five fours and came at a strike rate of 59.21. He extended the momentum set by the openers and didn't let the pressure come on India. But like all Indian cricket fans, perhaps the skipper also expected Kohli to score a century and become the first from his country to do so in his 100th Test.
Considering the pace the match has moved with so far, the former captain is likely to get another chance to do so in the second essay.
Onus on youngsters after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's wickets
Not converting starts has been the pattern of India's innings. Rohit and Mayank Agarwal built a 52-run stand but then got out for 29 and 33 respectively. Hanuma Vihari, who batted brilliantly from No.3 to score a 128-ball 58 also followed Kohli back to the pavilion after dragging on a full-length ball from Vishwa Fernando onto his stumps.
The onus is now on two youngsters, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer, to build a substantial score. With both being brilliant players of spin, the duo will look to target Embuldeniya and part-timer Dhananjaya de Silva, making for an exciting watch.
