New Delhi:
On day 2 of the Indore Test between India and Bangladesh, Cheteshwar Pujara notched up his fifty by hitting two boundaries. However, on 54, he edged a good length ball from Abu Jayed to gully and that brought in Virat Kohli, the Indian cricket team skipper. The fans in Indore were cheering and many took their phones out to capture the walk of Kohli towards the wicket. There was plenty of anticipation that Kohli would score a big knock as Indore was the venue where he notched up his first double ton which was against New Zealand in 2016. The first ball that he faced from Abu Jayed was a full ball on middle and leg stump which straightend a bit and he mistimed the defensive shot back to the bowler.
However, in the 32nd over, Jayed struck gold. In the fifth ball with Kohli on strike, Jayed got a good length delivery to cut back in sharply off the deck. Kohli's feet were struck on the crease and he played across the line of the delivery. The ball hit the back leg and Bangladesh appealed for an LBW. The umpire was unmoved and they opted for the review. Replays showed no bat but the problems for Kohli mounted when the ball was hitting leg stump and he was given his marching orders. The crowd in Indore were stunned. Abu Jayed became the third bowler after Mitchell Starc and Suranga Lakmal to dismiss Kohli for a duck at home and he entered a special list.
This was Kohli's 10th duck in Tests but it was only his third at home, with the other seven having come overseas. Mitchell Starc was the first bowler to dismiss Kohli for a duck in a home Test. During the 2017 Pune Test, Starc angled across a full ball outside off and Kohli was lured into the drive but he only edged it to the slips to fall for a first ball duck or golden duck. In the same year, during the Kolkata Test, Kohli played out 10 balls on a spicy Eden Gardens wicket which assisted the pacers but Suranga Lakmal produced a full ball that nipped back in and Kohli was playing inside the line to be trapped LBW. The skipper took the review but to no avail.
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Kohli has three ducks in England, two in Australia and West Indies while his venues for a no-score in India are Pune, Kolkata and Indore. It is ironic that Indore will also be remembered for Kohli getting out for only his third duck in India after his first of seven double tons came at the same venue in 2016 against New Zealand.
