On Day 1 of the 1st Test against Bangladesh at Chepauk, Star India batter Virat Kohli entered the arena to loud cheers from spectators. But, this time, he could only survive for just six balls because an old weakness haunted him again. One of the victims earlier had been Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill by Hasan Mahmud who is a pace bowler in the Bangladeshi team. One delivery was slightly short of a length and just outside off stump – something that was not meant for driving – and Kohli went after it nonetheless; there was a juicy edge that flew straight into Litton Das’ gloves.
This isn’t the first time Kohli has been dismissed while trying to play a big shot outside the off-stump. Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal, who was doing commentary, said that this dismissal made the analyst seem like a magician.
“Virat is returning to Test cricket after some time, so he wants to get back into the rhythm by feeling the ball. This happens to everyone. We’ve all played the game. We know that sometimes you just want to feel the ball. And I think that specific area where he got out, he’s been dismissed there many times before. This was a dismissal that makes the analyst look like a magician. It was definitely a very well-planned delivery, and Virat fell for it,” Tamim said on Sports18 during the lunch break.
Meanwhile, India reached 176/6 at Tea on Day 1. Ravindra Jadeja (7) and Ravichandran Ashwin (21) were at the crease at tea.
Jaiswal scored a solid 56 off 118 balls with nine fours despite the damage caused by pacer Hasan Mahmud (4/35).
The Indian batting performance was quite confusing because the pitch and the bowlers didn’t really make things hard for them, except for a few tough moments that are common in Test cricket.
However, the home team’s batters didn’t handle these moments well, and their dismissals seemed to be more due to a lack of focus.
The dismissals of Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant (39), who together scored 62 runs in 99 balls for the fourth wicket, showed that this was true.
