Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has pointed to Virat Kohli's woes, especially against deliveries outside off-stump, when the right-hander was dismissed for just seven runs in the pink-ball Test after he fell to a probing delivery from Mitchell Starc.
A short-of-length ball, angled across and landing on the probing fifth-stump line, lured Kohli into hesitation whether to play or leave, and ultimately got caught in the slips where Steve Smith was perfectly placed.
"One important reason why Virat's average has slipped to 48 now is the unfortunate weakness outside off. But more crucially, his adamance to not try another way to tackle it," Manjrekar wrote on X.
Kohli’s Test average has slipped to 48, underlining his diminishing returns in the format. Despite his impressive record at Adelaide, with an average of over 63 and more than 500 runs, the venue offered no respite this time.
Kohli’s dismissal was part of a broader collapse that saw India lose three quick wickets after being comfortably placed at 69/1. The team’s batting woes deepened as Australia capitalised on the momentum, their bowlers exploiting the conditions with precision. Starc claimed three wickets as India were reduced to 82 for 4 at the stroke of Lunch.
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