Team India endured a horror outing with the bat on Day 2 of the first Test against New Zealand on Thursday. The side was bowled out for just 46, and the batting order saw a major change with Shubman Gill being forced out of the game due to an injury. Virat Kohli, who bats at no.4 for India, came in a position earlier, while Sarfaraz Khan was slotted into Kohli’s spot in the order.
The move, however, didn’t reap rewards as both Kohli and Sarfaraz were dismissed for a duck.
In the press conference following the end of the day’s play, however, Rohit Sharma revealed that Kohli volunteered to take on the responsibility of batting at No.3 in Bengaluru. Kohli’s decision to return to this position came after an eight-year gap, but it didn’t go as planned. The former Indian captain was dismissed for a nine-ball duck by William O’Rourke, marking a rough outing for him at the unfamiliar spot.
Rohit explained that the decision to promote Kohli was made to maintain stability in the batting order. Both KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan have been consistent in their positions, and India did not want to disrupt their momentum, leaving Kohli to take the initiative.
“Yes, he (Rahul) is a local boy. So he has to bat at 3? (laughs). After a long time, KL Rahul has found a spot at No. 6. We want to make him bat there. The experienced players are the ones who have to take up more responsibility. This time, it was Virat. He was the one who was ready to do that,” Rohit said in the press conference after the day’s play.
“We asked him whether he could bat at No. 3. Sarfaraz, we also wanted to give him the position that he usually bats — 4, 5 and 6. We didn’t want to change Rishabh and KL. Hence, Sarfaraz went at No. 4 and Virat batted at No. 3. It’s a good sign. Players coming up and taking responsibility and owning up the challenge. It’s a good sign,” Rohit said.
Kohli’s record at No.3 hasn’t been promising, having managed just 97 runs from six matches at a meager average of 16.16. His highest score at this position came against Australia back in 2013 when he managed 41 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Misjudged the pitch
India’s first innings proved disastrous, as they were bowled out for a mere 46 runs in 31.2 overs. Except for Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) and Rishabh Pant (20), none of the Indian batters reached double figures, leading to a difficult start.
Rohit admitted that the team had misjudged the pitch, expecting it to ease out after the initial session. However, the conditions continued to favor the fast bowlers throughout, leaving India in a vulnerable position after a challenging Day 1.
