Virat Kohli Will Be Disappointed With The Shot He Played - Sanjay Bangar

Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar felt that India Test captain Virat Kohli will be disappointed with his shot selection as he got out for 18 runs in the second innings of the first Test match against South Africa at the Supersport Park in Centurion.

India managed to bowl out South Africa for 197 runs in their first innings, managing a lead of 130 runs. However, their second innings didn’t fare any better as they were bowled out for 174 runs with Rishabh Pant top-scoring with 34 runs, while Ajinkya Rahane made 20 and KL Rahul made 23 runs.

Virat Kohli, who had made 35 in the first innings, got out for 18 runs in the second innings to Marco Jansen and the method of his dismissal proved to be the same as in the first do. Jansen bowled a delivery pitching on middle stump and leaving him with the angle and Kohli decided to play a drive and edged the ball straight into the gloves of keeper Quinton de Kock.

This meant that Virat Kohli ended his second straight year without an international century to his name. He finished 2021 with 536 runs in 11 matches at a paltry average of 28.21 which is in stark contrast to his career average of 50.34. Kohli has managed just 4 fifties in Test cricket in 2021.

Sanjay Bangar was not happy with the way Virat Kohli has gotten out and shared his views on the same.

“He would have been disappointed with his shot selection. To play that shot first ball after Lunch, I think there was a lapse in concentration. Apart from that, I can’t fathom anything else,” Bangar said.

There has been pressure on Virat Kohli as he has had a prolonged slump across all formats of the game.

He Needs To Find A Way To Deal With Outgoing Deliveries: Sanjay Bangar On Virat Kohli Chasing Wide Balls

Indian captain, along with middle-order batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane failed to impress with the bat in the first Test match in Centurion. But the focus was on Kohli, who has not scored runs in a long time and his last international century came in November of 2019 in a Test against Bangladesh.

The former batting coach also said that the skipper needs to find a way to avoid getting drawn into wide deliveries.

“Kohli being consistently drawn into those wide lines. The attack clearly shows all the balls were in the 6th, 7th stump line, they were not even in the 5th stump line. A;nd that’s where whether Virat Kohli can wear the bowlers down or find a way to get the bowlers bowl at him. He needs to find a way to deal with that,” he added.

Kagiso Rabada with 4/42 and Marco Jansen with 4/55 were the main wreckers for the South African team. India set a target of 305 for the Proteas to win the Test match and they ended day four on 94/4 with Jasprit Bumrah picking two wickets and captain Dean Elgar unbeaten on 52.

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