Virat Kohli failed to make a mark while batting at No. 3 in Tests for the first time in eight years.
Former cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar heaped praise on Virat Kohli after the star batter walked out to bat at No. 3 in the first Test against New Zealand at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Kohli, who usually bats at No. 4 in Test cricket, moved one spot up in the batting order as Shubman Gill was not available for selection due to stiff neck.
Kohli last batted at No.3 in 2016 against the West Indies. It was expected that KL Rahul would come into bat at one down position, given that he was familiar with the conditions at the Chinnaswamy stadium being the local star. However, the Indian management decided to keep him in his new spot in the middle-order.
On the other hand, Sarfaraz Khan, who replaced Gill in the playing XI, batted at No. 4 in the first innings of the Bengaluru Test.
Amidst all the changes in the batting order, Manjrekar was lauded by Kohli for aggreging to bat at No. 3, keeping the need of the team in mind.
“Hats off to Virat Kohli! Coming out to bat at no 3 bcoz the team needed it. Ganguly, Tendulkar were very keen to open in white ball cricket, but never wanted to go up the order in Tests. That’s a true champion right there for you! Virat,” Manjrekar wrote on X.
However, Virat Kohli's return to the No. 3 spot after eight years ended in disaster as the veteran campaigner was dismissed for a 9-ball duck by Kiwi pacer William O’Rourke.
After the dismissal, Manjrekar was quick to criticize Kohli’s technique as he tweeted: “Have said this before will say it again. Virat has compounded his problems by wanting to be on the front foot to every ball. No matter the length. Today’s dismissal ball could have been comfortably tackled off the back foot.”
During the recently held two-match Test series against Bangladesh, Virat Kohli managed to score only 99 runs at an average of 24.75 in four innings.
Kohli’s underwhelming display against Bangladesh and in the first innings of Bengaluru Test saw his average further dipping to 48.62. He currently has 8947 runs to his name from 116 Tests, including 29 hundreds.