Virat Kohli registered his 14th ODI duck in the second match against South Africa.
Virat Kohli scored the 14th duck of his ODI career in the second match against South Africa on Friday (January 21). He was dismissed by South African spinner Keshav Maharaj while going for a drive.
Temba Bavuma took a simple catch and Kohli had to walk back to the pavilion after playing five deliveries. He scored a half-century in the first ODI match, but the ex-India captain had a soft dismissal there too.
Former India cricketers, Gautam Gambhir and Aakash Chopra, analyzed Kohli's dismissal in the second ODI at Boland Park. Chopra said Kohli was trying to hit the ball through the covers but ended up playing it in the air.
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The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Kohli hasn't looked his usual self in this series despite getting runs in the first match. "I don't think Virat wanted to loft it in the air but wanted to hit it through covers. To be honest, we had seen his fifty in the previous game but I don't think we have seen his usual self.
"He's set the bar high and it was out of character for Kohli to play a cover drive like that at the start. He doesn't play that shot unless he's 100 percent certain about it," said Chopra in the Star Sports mid-innings show.
Gambhir has a similar feeling about the 33-year-old's batting form and he said it doesn't look like Kohli is in rhyhm. He further spoke on change in conditions which has also troubled the batters.
"After a long time in ODI cricket, we have seen the ball slowing up. When you go to Australia, England, or India, the ball skids, and batters develop the habit of playing it on the rise.
"Kohli hasn't looked in rhythm in both the games. The pitch slowed it down and made it difficult for him to play the shot… you have to get accustomed to the conditions quickly. We saw typical South African pitches in the Test series but the surface of both ODI games has acted like an Indian wicket," said Gambhir.
India lost the second ODI by 7 wickets and with two consecutive defeats, they have also lost the series. Earlier, the visitors were beaten in the three-match Test series by 2-1 on the tour.
(With Star Sports Inputs)