KL Rahul and Virat Kohli both scored ducks in India first innings.
Dinesh Karthik, former India cricketer, reacted to Virat Kohli batting at no.3 in the ongoing first Test between India and New Zealand. India had a disastrous batting display and were bundled out for 46 in 31.2 overs against New Zealand, on Day 2 of the ongoing first Test in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Only Rishabh Pant (20) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) scored in double figures, while Matt Henry and Will O'Rourke dominated for the visitors.
Henry took five wickets, while O'Rourke claimed four. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and R Ashwin were all dismissed for ducks.
The batting order saw a significant upheaval as Kohli was elevated to number three from his normal position of number four. Shubman Gill has recently occupied the third spot, although he was apparently ruled out of the starting XI due to a stiff neck.
Commenting on head coach Gautam Gambhir's decision to change Kohli's batting position, former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik pointed out that the batter was 'best suited' to no.4.
"I am not protecting Virat Kohli. He has the temperament and technique of some of the greatest batters that have ever played. If I make a change, it is because I believe that player will do well there, not because I want to protect Virat Kohli. He walks in at no. 3 in every ODI, he opens in T20, now you can say the ball is different, it's not moving as much, 100 percent, in Test cricket where is the best-suited place for Virat Kohli, no. 4,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
Karthik also felt that Rahul should have been promoted to no. 3 by Gambhir.
"Commendable on Virat Kohli also, he could have easily said, 'No, let me bat at four, because you can put KL Rahul or Sarfaraz Khan at three.' Coach would have said, 'Fine, I will manage that conversation.' The fact that he said, 'No, I am happy to go at three,' tells you the mindset. Results are one thing, obviously, it hasn't gone his way today, but just the fact that India is at a place where people are willing to adapt and at the same time give respect to what the coach thinks, I won't say it is the right decision.
I still feel personally KL should have batted at three, that's what I feel, that's different. But I definitely don't follow Gambhir's thinking of let's have the same batting order so that there's consistency in their thought process and eventually the results will come out," he added.
New Zealand has gone on from strength to strength as Rachin Ravindra hammered a brilliant century and has added 137 runs for the 8th wicket with Tim Southee.