New Zealand might be on the heels of what they haven't been able to do all World Test Championship (WTC) - win an away series. Still, there is a long time left in the ongoing second Test against India in Pune, however, the Kiwis took some big steps towards achieving what no team has been able to do in the last 12 years, beat India in India. India's abject show against spin and Mitchell Santner's maiden Test fifer were at the centre of a change of guard as far as the Pune Test was concerned.
As India collapsed to 156 all-out, the spotlight was on India's senior pros, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who scored 0 and 1 respectively. Rohit got out to a pacer on the usual top-of-off line while Kohli missed a full toss from Santner which crashed into his stumps. Kohli seemed a tad too early on the flick across the line and missed the delivery which was bowled slightly slower delivery in the air, completely. It wasn't a good sight as Kohli was on his haunches in disbelief.
"Oh dear! Virat will know himself that he has just played the worst shot of his career to get out. Got to feel for him…coz as always he came out with solid & honest intent,” wrote Sanjay Manjrekar on X (formerly Twitter) while commentator and presenter Harsha Bhogle reckoned that Kohli would never want to see the replay of that dismissal.
Former India head coach Anil Kumble was asked during the lunch break if Kohli should have played some domestic cricket before coming into the Test season. "Perhaps just one or two innings in a match situation could have helped. Being in an actual game is definitely more beneficial than just practice; it gives an upper hand. If he feels that playing earlier would have benefited him, and the team management agrees, then maybe it would have. However, I don't think we can look at that as the only reason for his struggles against spin," Kumble said.
Kohli apart from that 70 in the second innings in Bengaluru has scores of 6, 17, 47, 29*, 0 and 1 in six innings in the ongoing home Test season. The decision to play on a turning track seems to have backfired pretty badly and India need to bowl and bat in the second innings out of their skins to salvage the game and stay alive in the series.
