Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara become this Australian offspinner’s bunnies

In the modern era, getting the wicket of Virat Kohli is a claim to fame for any bowler. The Indian cricket team skipper is in such great form and has amassed plenty of runs in record time. When Kohli is in great form, no bowler can escape his wrath and his economy as well as his confidence takes an absolute pounding. However, that does not seem to be the case with Nathan Lyon, the Australian offspinner and in the Adelaide Test on day 3, Lyon created a record which could make him the envy of every other bowler in the world. Lyon dismissed Kohli for 34 with the end of the day approcaching and in the process became the bowler who dismissed the Indian skipper the most number of times in Tests.

Lyon’s dismissal of Kohli was the sixth time he had achieved the feat in Tests and he now stands alone at the top. England’s legendary bowling duo of Stuart Broad and James Anderson had held the earlier record, having dismissed Kohli five times.

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The offspinner first dismissed Kohli in 2013 in the Chennai Test when he had him caught by Mitchell Starc. In the same series, during the Delhi Test, Lyon trapped Kohli LBW in both innings but Australia lost the series 4-0. In 2014, Kohli had dominated the Adelaide Test with centuries in both innings. His knock of 141 in the second innings put India on course for a famous win but he miscued the pull shot and holed out to Mitchell Marsh at deep midwicket as India lost the match by 48 runs.

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In 2017, during the Bengaluru Test, Kohli left an offbreak from Lyon and was adjudged LBW. Before Lyon, Anderson was the first bowler to actually wreck Kohli’s technique. In 2012, the England pacer got him out in the Kolkata Test while in the 2014 series, he dismissed Kohli cheaply four times as India lost the series 3-1. Kohli has an average of just 8.2 against Broad, having fallen to him twice in the 2014 and 2018 series while in 2016, the England fast bowler dismissed the Indian skipper in the Chennai Test.

Lyon has not only made Kohli his bunny but he also dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara. On the fourth day, Lyon managed to get Pujara to glove a flighted delivery to short leg as Pujara was dismissed for the eighth time by the offspinner, the most he has gotten out to one bowler in his Test career. Lyon has also dismissed former England skipper Alastair Cook eight times.