IND vs NZ: Horrifying batting display by Team India against New Zealand in the first match of the three Test series. Indian batters clueless against three Kiwi bowlers, veteran Tim Southee, Matt Henry, and 23-year-old Will O’Rourke, ran bulldozer on the Indian batting line-up. Five batters threw their wickets without scoring a single run. Virat Kohli’s poor form in test cricket continues. Virat batted in the number three position and returned to the pavilion with a duck. Along with VK, Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and R Ashwin returned to the dressing room with an empty hand. Shubhman Gill is not participating in the match due to a fitness issue; Sarfaraz Khan replaces him. Like the team, Virat adds a poor record with his name. Team India’s first inning comes to an end with only 46/10 on the scoreboard.
Innings Break!#TeamIndia all out for 46.
Over to our bowlers now! 👍 👍
Match Updates ▶️ https://t.co/8qhNBrrtDF#INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/GhqcZy2rby
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 17, 2024
Virat was caught by 23-year-old New Zealand fast bowler Will O’Rourke at short third man. In Shubman’s absence, Virat was promoted to number 3 from number 4 position. However, he could not do anything special again on this position. Virat came out to bat at number three in the Test after nearly eight years. However, his comeback was nothing special.
The last time he batted at this position was against the West Indies in 2016. Batting at number three in Tests, Virat has played seven innings and scored runs at an average of only 16.16. He has scored 97 runs in seven innings. Batting at number three, 41 runs is his best score. Virat has been dismissed for zero batting at number three for the first time in Tests. The last time Virat was out for a duck in a Test match was in 2021. Even then the opposition team was New Zealand.