INDvsAUS: Sanjay Manjrekar highlights a major flaw in Virat Kohli’s technique in the last couple of years

The short-pitched bouncer from the highly experienced left-arm pacer hit the gloves of the former India captain who couldn’t take his hands off the line of the ball and an alert Steve Smith took a fine catch at second slip to end Kohli’s innings at 14.

The Indians were thus left reeling at 71-4 in 18.2 overs in their first innings after Australia posted a mammoth 679 in 121.3 overs, thanks to centuries from Travis Head and Steve Smith. At stumps on day two, Team India were 151 for the loss of 5 wickets and trail by 318 runs.

While many thought that the delivery from Starc, on which Kohli was dismissed, was an unplayable one, and that he could have not done much to avoid it. Later, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar analysed Kohli’s dismissal and claimed it was the technical error which resulted in the latter’s innings coming to a premature end.

Analysing Kohli’s batting, Manjrekar claimed on ESPNCricinfo show that Kohli doesn’t have a back foot game and that is the reason why he was dismissed in such a fashion in an all-important game. WTC Final 2023: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s runs in knockout matches for India at ICC events

The 57-year-old cricketer-turned-commentator said, “A lot was being said about the ball (he was dismissed) but I looked at the pitch map that I got from our in-house team and the ball actually pitched halfway. It’s a short ball. And if you see Virat Kohli, that’s his position.

“We’ve got the still image of that particular shot that got him on the glove. But that is the problem that I’ve had with Virat Kohli for the last couple of years where he’s on the front foot, no matter what. That ball is short, unfortunately, it’s reared up from (that) length.

“But when you are getting onto the front foot, that back foot – you don’t see the crease there. But the back foot, I’m telling you, is outside the front crease. So both his legs are outside the crease and he’s trying to negotiate a ball that has reared from halfway down the pitch,” the former right-handed top-order batter said.

Manjrekar further explained that had Kohli played the ball from the back foot, it wouldn’t have troubled him. WTC Final 2023: Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma fans engage in Twitter battle amid Team India’s batting collapse

“It’s a snorter if the ball is up when bowled at good length – where most batters would get onto the front foot and that’s why I’ve become a proponent of back-foot play. And you the reaction on Virat Kohli’s face, he’s gone onto the front foot and once the ball rears and if you’re committed onto the front foot, you’ve got no chance. Somebody like Steve Smith would go onto the backfoot to play such deliveries.”