Virat Kohli became a victim of controversial decision by umpire Nitin Menon on Day 3 of second Test of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023. Unhappy with umpire’s decision, Kohli reviewed straightaway but the third umpire Richard Illingworth did not give the benefit of doubt to the batter despite ball hitting bat and pad at the same time. Kohli walked to the pavilion fuming. Later in the day, Kohli had a chance to talk about his dismissal with Menon when Indian were fielding.
The video of Kohli gesturing and talking to Menon in the last session of the day is making rounds on social media. Menon seemed to be dodging Kohli as he got back to his place at square leg.
Before the Test, Kohli was under the scanner for his form in red-ball cricket. On Day 2, Kohli came to India's rescue when India lost three wickets in the form of skipper Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Shreyas Iyer in the first session.
Kohli stitched a crucial 59-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja. After Jadeja’s wicket, India needed another partnership but Kohli became victim of a controversial dismissal.
Debutant left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann darted one from around the wicket in and Kohli tried to defend it on the front foot. The ball hit the pads and Menon raised his finger. Kohli reviewed and it seemed that the ball had taken an inside edge when it hit the pads. But the third umpire did not overturn the decision as the ball was hitting the bat and pad at the same time. The hawkeye showed that the ball was clipping the leg stump and Kohli was given out.
He scored 44 runs from 84 deliveries including four fours. The 34-year-old looked at the replays in the dressing room and had an animated look on his face. Batting coach Vikram Rathour and head coach Rahul Dravid were also stunned by the decision which was a big setback for India.
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However, Axar Patel’s second half-century of the series and his partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin helped India post 262 in the first innings and reduce the deficit to just one run.
