Virat Kohli's return to the No 3 spot after a gap of 8 years during the India vs New Zealand Bengaluru Test turned out to be anightmare as he was dismissed for a 9-ball duck. After Shubman Gill was ruled out of the match, Kohli had the chance to make runs under overcast condition. However the move turned out to be a disaster. Kohli last batted at No.3 in 2016 against the West Indies.
With Gill out, KL Rahul was expected to come in at No 3 given that he was familiar with the conditions. However, India have decided to keep him in the middle-order.
Kohli's record as No 3 batsman in Test
Kohli does not have a great record at the No 3 spot. In 6 matches at the spot the right handed batter has scored just 97 runs at an average of 16.16. This was the first time he had been dismissed for a duck while batting at No.3.
This was also Kohli's first duck in Tests in 32 innings and incidentally, it was also against New Zealand during the last tour of the Blackcaps to India in 2021. This was Kohli's 38th international duck - the most for any active cricketer
India struggles against New Zealandopace battery
Team India's top order was ripped apart by New Zealand pace trio of Will O'Rourke, Tim Southee and Matt Henry. Rohit Sharma was dismissed for 2, while Kohli and Sarafaraz failed to open their account.
Earlier, India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat against New Zealand on Day 2 of the opening Test on Thursday. The day 1 was washed out by rain.
India made two changes with Sarfaraz Khan replacing an injured Shubman Gill, who was not "100 per cent" according to the skipper, and Kuldeep Yadav replacing seamer Akash Deep as a third spinner.
