In a surprising twist during the second Test against New Zealand at Pune’s MCA Stadium, Virat Kohli was dismissed rarely, compounding India’s troubles. Kohli, attempting a sweep shot to a full toss from Mitchell Santner, missed the ball completely, which shattered his stumps. His unexpected departure left India struggling at 56-3 as they sought to respond to New Zealand’s first-innings score of 259.
The pitch in Pune has been highly favourable to spinners, and New Zealand’s bowlers have expertly capitalized on these conditions, keeping India’s batsmen on edge. Starting the day at 16-1, India’s Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal cautiously stabilised the innings. They managed to build a partnership that brought the score up to 50 before Santner trapped Gill’s leg-before-wicket.
Following Shubman Gill’s dismissal, expectations were high for Kohli, especially after his impressive 70-run knock in the second innings of the first Test. Unfortunately, Kohli lasted just a single run this time, visibly frustrated with his choice of shot as he walked back to the pavilion.
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Trailing New Zealand by 198 runs, India faces an uphill battle as the pitch increasingly favours spin. Yashasvi Jaiswal, set at the crease, will now carry the hopes of India’s recovery alongside Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant, the heroes of India’s spirited comeback in the first Test with scores of 150 and 99, respectively.
Virat Kohli out 🥺🥺🥺#ViratKohli #INDvsNZ pic.twitter.com/49ytD5Jewv
— Virat (@chiku_187) October 25, 2024
A win in this match is critical for India to prevent a series of defeats and keep their World Test Championship (WTC) final hopes alive. The first Test loss dealt a significant blow to India’s chances of securing a spot in the WTC final, making this match even more crucial.
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To stay in contention, India not only needs a win in this Test but also must secure two victories and at least two draws in their upcoming series against Australia. Should India fail to secure a win here, their path to the WTC final would become extremely challenging, leaving little room for error in the remaining matches.
Virat kohli gone 🥲
Ab kon karega #INDvsNZ #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/MxznHafHTp— Sandarbh Raj Gupta (@Sandarbh_raj8) October 25, 2024
Virat Kohli jab apna shot dekhega 😭#ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/Vh4vZ2khzn
— Raja Babu (@GaurangBhardwa1) October 25, 2024
London me rehne se practice hoti nhi aur yaha 2 din pehle se practice krne se ghanta kucch hoga , lagta hai bande ko ab koi interest nhi hai cricket me. Full toss pe chal diye Maharaj ji #INDvNZ #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/1XaVq3FNr5
— εмρεяσя (@EmperorVK) October 25, 2024
What the fuck was that shot virat??
Are you mad , you are playing across the line against leg spinner in test 🙏🏻
What happened to you man…..
What have you done so far now looks like a dream 💔#ViratKohli— user_is_not_confirmed (@user_is_not_ryt) October 25, 2024
It’s about time Virat Kohli needs to be dropped from test team and should be sent to play a domestic season and get his basics perfect once again! Bhai ne line hi miss kar di completely! Come on King what’s wrong!!!!! #ViratKohli #INDvsNZ
— Aniket (@baigannkabharta) October 25, 2024
Run banao jhat bhar GOAT ka ramdi Rona karo raat bhar.#INDvsNZ #ViratKohli #RohithSharma pic.twitter.com/o3foeKl6wS
— 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚🇦🇱 (@AbsurdlyDank) October 25, 2024
How Virat how??? On full toss
I’m ur biggest fan but Sorry u r playing sooo bad these days, itna q daar rhe ho, koi v aata hai out krr jata hai.. where is ur aggression yaar 😢 aur lo cricket ko itna lightly, wo din dur nahi jab aap drop ho jaoge.
Hurt 💔 #INDvsNZ #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/nCAIDuwcYq— Ranjan Yadav (@RanjanCharan) October 25, 2024
