Fri Nov 22 12:23:22 UTC 2024: ## Kohli’s Early Dismissal Dents India’s Hopes in Perth Test
**Perth, Australia:** India’s batting woes continued on day one of the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia, with star batsman Virat Kohli falling cheaply for just 5 runs. Kohli, who has struggled for form in recent Test matches, was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood, sparking renewed criticism of his performance.
The dismissal came early in India’s innings, after captain Jasprit Bumrah won the toss and elected to bat first. India’s opening batsmen, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal, failed to score, and KL Rahul (26) and Kohli (5) were soon back in the pavilion. Further collapses saw India reeling at 73/6 before Rishabh Pant and Nitish Reddy managed to rescue the innings, taking the score to 150 all out. Pant scored 37 and Reddy 41.
Former teammate Cheteshwar Pujara analyzed Kohli’s dismissal, suggesting that Kohli’s back-foot stance made him ill-prepared for the bounce of the Perth pitch and that Hazlewood strategically exploited this. Pujara emphasized the importance of adapting one’s stance to the conditions.
Kohli’s poor form continues, with only 93 runs in six innings in the recent series against New Zealand. His struggles in the last five years, reflected by just three Test centuries, have raised concerns about his place in the team. The low score puts significant pressure on the Indian team early in the series.
First Piper 