New Delhi: Former Australia batter Simon Katich took a sly dig at Virat Kohli during commentary after the Team India star failed in India’s 340-run chase in their second innings of the 4th Test against Australia in Melbourne on Monday. Kohli was dismissed cheaply on 5 runs after poking an outside off delivery from Mitchell Starc as India were skittled out for a paltry 155 runs to suffer a crushing 184-run defeat in the Test match.
Katich, who was on air during Kohli’s dismissal, came up with some scathing remarks for the senior India batter stating that “the King is dead”. The former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) coach, who worked with Kohli in the Indian Premier League (IPL), suggested Kohli’s reign as the ‘king’ is over and that pacer Jasprit Bumrah is set to take over the mantle.
Katich’s comments came after Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc exploited Kohli’s weakness with an outside off delivery to get him caught in the slips. Despite having struggled with tackling outside off deliveries, Kohli went fetching for a cover drive once again and failed to get the connection right as the ball flew straight towards Usman Khawaja at slips, who made no mistakes with the catch.
“The King is dead,” quipped Katich on commentary after Kohli’s dismissal. “He trudges off. King Bumrah has taken the mantle now. Kohli looks dejected with himself. That was a big knock for him. He has come up short. Australia will be very, very happy wih the situation they find themselves in,” added the former Australia batter as the two teams headed to lunch after Kohli’s wicket.
🗣️ “Starc has the big fish and that is disastrous for India.” – @tommorris32
🗣️ “The king is dead. He trudges off.” – Simon Katich
Virat Kohli throws his wicket away right before lunch 🤯#AUSvIND 🏏 | @NufarmAustralia pic.twitter.com/Rmsz1f2NHa
— SEN Cricket (@SEN_Cricket) December 30, 2024
Kohli has struggled in tackling deliveries around the fourth to sixth stump line constantly in the ongoing series with the Australian pacers exploiting his weakness easily. The star batter’s similar style of dismissal during India’s tricky chase on Monday created a huge uproar on social media as fans bashed Kohli left, right and centre for lack of discipline in his batting.
Virat Kohli’s disastrous run in Tests for India
Kohli has struggled for consistency and has endured a disastrous run for India in Tests. Barring his century in the 1st Test against Australia in Perth, the senior batter has looked out of sorts and has been far from his best. He has managed only 62 runs in his last five innings since his ton against Australia in Perth.
Kohli had headed into the series with question marks over his form having not performed well in the three-match Test series against New Zealand at home where he scored only 93 runs in the three matches. However, the star batter seemed to have found his mojo with his unbeaten ton in Perth. But that has not been the case as he struggled continuously after his ton and has failed to make an impact in the last three Tests.
Overall, Kohli amassed only 417 runs in 10 Test matches at an average of 24.52, including a solitary ton. Despite batting at no.3, Kohli is the seventh highest run-getter for India in Tests in 2024 behind the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Shubman Gill among others.
Former RCB coach Simon Katich’s scathing commentary, aiming a dig at Virat Kohli over his failure in the 4th Test against Australia in Melbourne has gone viral on social media. Kohli was dismissed cheaply on 5 runs as India faltered in their 340-run chase in the 2nd innings to suffer a 184-run defeat. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
