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Former India wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik lashed out on head coach Gautam Gambhir's decision to change Virat Kohli's batting position during India vs New Zealand 1st Test match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. He pointed out that the batter was 'best suited' to no.4 in the longest format of the game.
Team India failed to perform in the first Test match against New Zealand, Rohit Sharma & Co. were bundled out for 46 in 31.2 overs. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) and wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant (20) managed double-figure scores. This was India's lowest total on home soil in the history of Test cricket. Five Indian batters Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin got out on a duck.
Kohli who usually plays at number four in Test matches came to bat at number three in place of young batter Shubman Gill who missed the first Test due to a niggle in his neck. The former India captain failed to score runs on number three and after India's batting collapse, Dinesh Karthik reckoned that KL Rahul should have played at number three.
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Karthik said, "I am not protecting Virat Kohli. He has the temperament and technique of some of the greatest batters that have ever played. If I make a change, it is because I believe that player will do well there, not because I want to protect Virat Kohli. He walks in at no. 3 in every ODI, he opens in T20, now you can say the ball is different, it's not moving as much, 100 percent, in Test cricket where is the best suited place for Virat Kohli, no. 4."
"Commendable on Virat Kohli also, he could have easily said, 'no, let me bat at four, because you can put KL Rahul or Sarfaraz Khan at three.' Coach would have said, 'fine, I will manage that conversation.' The fact that he said, 'no, I am happy to go at three,' tells you the mindset. Results are one thing, obviously it hasn't gone his way today, but just the fact that India is at a place where people are willing to adapt and at the same time give respect to what the coach thinks, I won't say it is the right decision. I still feel personally KL should have batted at three, that's what I feel, that's different. But I definitely don't follow Gambhir's thinking of let's have the same batting order, so that there's consistency in their thought process and eventually the results will come out," he added.
Tom Latham and Devon Conway opened the innings for New Zealand, quickly establishing a comfortable lead. Latham scored 15 runs before being dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav. However, Conway continued his innings, forming a solid partnership with Will Young, who added 33 runs to the total.
Conway was dismissed by R. Ashwin after scoring 91 runs off 105 deliveries. Rachin Ravindra, with 22 runs, and Daryl Mitchell, who scored 14, both ended the day not out for New Zealand and will continue their innings on Day 3.
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