Ganesh Kendale
NEW DELHI: India mounted a remarkable fightback in the second innings of the first Test against New Zealand, but Virat Kohli’s dismissal on the final ball of day three shifted the momentum in favour of the visitors on Friday.
At stumps, India stood at 231/3, still trailing New Zealand by 125 runs, after Glenn Phillips dismissed Kohli for 70, caught behind on the last ball of the day in Bengaluru.
Kohli, who unsuccessfully reviewed his dismissal, shared a 136-run partnership with Sarfaraz Khan, who remained unbeaten on 70.
Kohli’s dismissal left India captain Rohit Sharma in complete shock. His reaction captured the weight of the moment, highlighting just how crucial Kohli’s wicket was for India.
As the team relied on their talisman to guide them through a challenging phase, the timing of the dismissal made the setback even more significant.
Kohli also crossed the 9,000 Test runs milestone, becoming only the fourth Indian to achieve this feat, following in the footsteps of Sachin Tendulkar (15,921), Rahul Dravid (13,265), and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122).
Despite a shaky start, during which he took 14 balls to score his first run, Kohli eventually settled in, hitting eight fours and a six as he found his rhythm.
