Virat Kohli’s return to the Indian team was marred with controversy as the captain was dismissed for a four-ball duck against New Zealand on Day 1 of the second Test in Mumbai. Kohli departed for the 14th Test duck of his career, and the 10th as India captain when left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel trapped him in front of the stumps.
However, the decision was surrounded with controversy. Kohli went on the front foot, trying to defend the ball as it rapped him on the pads. As New Zealand erupted in a huge appeal, umpire Anil Choudhary waited for a second extra before raising his finger. Kohli reviewed the decision immediately, and that is when things turned interesting.
At the point of impact, the ball seemed to have hit both bat and the pad almost at the same time, and the third umpire Virender Sharma, after watching the replay numerous times and from different angles, could not come to conclusive evidence to overturn Choudhary’s decision. As the ball tracking showed three reds, and Choudhary raised his finer, a shell-shocked Kohli could not believe it.
As he looked at the screen in disbelief, on his way back, the India captain stopped and spoke at length with umpire Nitin Menon about the decision. Kohli, while walking off the field, shook his head in disbelief and slammed his bat on the boundary ropes. Even the crowd was not pleased as the camera caught a couple of spectators were seen showing their anger on the umpire’s call.
Even upon returning to the change room, the camera panned towards Kohli, who still couldn’t come to terms with what had transpired. The India skipper reacted animatedly watching the replay of his dismissal on the TV screen. He brought out an amused reaction before finally heading inside the room.
From 80/0, India slipped to 111 for 3 as the teams headed into the tea interval in Mumbai