Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar expressed that star batter Virat Kohli would be particularly disappointed with the nature of his dismissal to Australia’s Josh Hazlewood on Day 3 of the Brisbane Test on December 16. Kohli’s early departure added to the pressure on India’s batting unit, already reeling after losing opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and then Shubman Gill cheaply. However, the familiar pattern of Kohli’s dismissal—edging a fuller-length delivery outside off-stump—also reignited a recurring concern about his technique.
Speaking to Star Sports, Bangar highlighted that while Kohli’s recent dismissals in a similar manner have often been the result of high-quality bowling, his latest mistake was avoidable. Hazlewood’s delivery, which pitched fuller and well outside off stump, lured Kohli into playing a loose drive, resulting in him nicking a catch to the Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
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“The last 3 dismissals could be given credit to the bowlers, but this is one which he would be certainly disappointedent with, because that was a ball which he in fact played before the start of this Test match. The thing that we noticed was that he wanted to leave a lot of balls outside off-stump,” Bangar said
“So he would be clearly disappointed with that error in his shot making that was clearly there. These are the balls which any battter would want to hit in the early part of the innings. He looked to defend, but apart from that, this particular dismissal there was a rank wide-ish half-volley, he could have easily let that go in the early part of his innings,” he added.
Despite visible efforts during net sessions to address this issue ahead of the Brisbane Test, Kohli’s inability to adjust during match situations has become a pattern. The Brisbane dismissal follows a series of similar mistakes, leading fans and analysts to voice concerns over the consistency of one of India’s most dependable batters.
With Australia having posted a mammoth total of 445 in their first innings, the pressure was already immense on India’s batting lineup. Mitchell Starc set the tone early with two crucial wickets, dismissing Jaiswal on the very second ball of the innings and then Gill off a stunning catch by Mitchell Marsh, before Hazlewood sent Kohli packing for just three runs. India’s precarious position at 22/3 then saw rain interrupting play shortly after Kohli’s dismissal, forcing an early lunch.
After the break, Rishabh Pant joined KL Rahul at the crease, but rain once again halted proceedings after just a few overs. This additional interruption might offer India’s team management a chance to reassess their approach to the innings. With a significant total to chase and a fragile top order, skipper Rohit Sharma and the team have their task cut out to steady the innings and avoid further collapses on a testing Gabba pitch.
