Indian skipper Virat Kohli now holds an unwelcome record after having fallen prey to arch-rival James Anderson for a golden duck in the Test series opener at Trent Bridge. The batting aficionado has overtaken talisman MS Dhoni in the list of most ducks as Indian captain in the longest format. Virat has departed first ball an astonishing nine times, followed by Dhoni (8), Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (7), and Kapil Dev (6).
Another addition to the modicum of ignominious statistics associated with Kohli is the fact that he is also the only Indian captain to have bagged three golden ducks in Tests. The latest came courtesy of Anderson, who probed the corridor of uncertainty as Kohli obliged, hanging his blade out to dry to perish nicking behind. England’s revered seamer tasted success after having failed to get the better of Kohli even once on the previous tour in 2018. He bowled 270 deliveries to arguably the world’s greatest batsman but couldn’t claim his number when India last visited English shores.
The wickedness of Test cricket was on show in all its glory as India lost wickets in a cluster to gift every ounce of advantage to the hosts after Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul put out an exhibition of technical compactness in the morning session. Cruising at 97-0 on the stroke of lunch, India pressed the self-destruction button to finish at 125/4 when bad light interrupted play, perhaps to lend the visitors a bit of breathing space to reflect on their abject surrender.
39.1 Pujara survives an LBW shout, reviews successfully
40.2 Pujara is caught behind off Anderson
40.3 Kohli departs for a duckAgony and ecstasy for England within a space of two overs!#ENGvIND | #WTC23 | https://t.co/HOyTN16tXL pic.twitter.com/Wken4hUOve
— ICC (@ICC) August 5, 2021
