Virat Kohli's dismissal makes Bangladesh analyst look like magician: Tamim Iqbal
Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal praised the Bangladeshi analyst for his meticulous planning behind Virat Kohli’s dismissal on Day 1 of the series-opening Test in Chennai. Kohli’s much-anticipated return to red-ball cricket on Indian soil was cut short on Day 1 of the first Test against Bangladesh, as the star batter was dismissed for just 6 runs.
“Virat’s coming back to Test cricket after a while, so he wants to build back by feeling the ball. It happens to everyone. We have all played the game. We understand that, at times, you want to feel the ball. And I think that particular area where he got out, he has been dismissed a lot of times,” Tamim remarked while speaking on Sports18 during the lunch break. “This was a dismissal that makes the analyst look like a magician. It was definitely a very well-planned delivery, and Virat fell for it.”
The former Indian captain’s return to Test cricket was highly anticipated by the home crowd at the M. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. It was his first Test appearance in India since March 2023, and the crowd erupted in cheers as Kohli walked out to bat. However, his stay at the crease was brief. Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahmud delivered a well-placed ball outside the off-stump that tempted Kohli into a loose drive. The ball caught the outside edge of Kohli’s bat and wicketkeeper Litton Das made no mistake in pouching the catch. It was Hasan’s third wicket of the morning, leaving India reeling in the first session.
India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, looked visibly frustrated as his side lost three early wickets, including Kohli’s, putting the team on the back foot before lunch. Former Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel also weighed in on the dismissal during the same broadcast, echoing Tamim’s sentiments. “Tamim mentioned Virat Kohli coming back after a long time, to be precise, 556 days since his last Test innings in India. Sometimes, after a long break, you want to feel the ball on your bat, and that can lead to these kinds of dismissals.”
Parthiv suggested that Kohli’s eagerness to engage with the ball, combined with the opposition’s well-executed plan, led to his downfall. “Maybe in the second innings, you’ll see him leaving that ball outside off-stump. When you’re out of practice for a while, this happens. But if the ball had hit the middle of the bat, we might have seen a completely different Kohli in this innings itself. It can happen to the greatest. Everyone’s been there.”
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