'Virat Kohli has this great sense of confidence that he cannot get out': Manjrekar on India captain's 11th Test duck
India vs England: Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar weighed in on Virat Kohli's wicket, saying the India captain has a strange self-belief/confidence that 'he cannot get out'.
Besides Rohit Sharma's century and a fifty from Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli's dismissal for a duck was one topic that had people talking on Day 1 of the second Test between India and England in Chennai on Saturday. Kohli was bowled by a lovely off-spinner from Moeen Ali, which fetched the India captain his 11th duck in Test cricket. Kohli, going for a booming cover drive, failed to reach the pitch of the ball and was bowled 'through the gate'.
Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar weighed in on Kohli's wicket, saying the India captain has a strange self-belief/confidence that 'he can't get out'. Kohli refused to leave the pitch even though he was clean bowled, with the ball taking the top off his off stump, and asked his partner Rohit whether the ball deflected off the gloves of Ben Foakes. It was only after the third umpired was called for that there was no doubt that he indeed was castled clean.
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"One of the reasons that he is so great as a batsman is this incredible self-belief. We will never understand a great mind because we’ve never been there so Virat Kohli when he goes to bat has this great sense of confidence that he cannot get out. Even in the second innings, when everyone else was struggling and the pitch was going up in smokes, he got a good 70," Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo.
"So, when such things happen, it’s almost like ‘Am I out? How is that possible? Yeah, I missed the ball but am I out?’ There’s such a sturdy layer of confidence. That is something he has to break. Virat Kohli I thought… a great delivery but not to the pitch of the ball as much as he’d have liked."
Also Read | Moeen Ali dismisses Kohli for a duck, becomes first spinner to do so in Tests
It was the first time that Kohli was dismissed for a duck of a spinner in Test matches. It was the fourth occasion of Ali dismissing Kohli in Test matches. Besides, it was the seventh time that Kohli the captain has been dismissed for a duck in Test cricket. He is one duck short of equalling MS Dhoni as the Indian captain with the most number of ducks. As far as the riveting delivery was concerned, Ali's ball reminded Manjrekar of the legendary Waqar Younis.
"When you look at it again, it’s a great delivery. The angle outside the off stump, then the drift. And that angle is just like how Waqar Younis used to bowl his revers swing. He used to throw it outside the off stump, inducing the batsmen to play the cover drive. It was a fantastic delivery from Moeen Ali. I love Moeen Ali the off spinner and more suited for this kind of a pitch that Dom Bess," Manjrekar added.
