The first Test match between the India cricket team and New Zealand in Bengaluru saw the unfortunate removal of Virat Kohli on the final ball before stumps on Day 3. Following this, India captain Rohit Sharma was clearly disappointed. With Kohli in top form, India's hopes of turning around the match on Day 4 were severely damaged when he was out for 70 runs.
After being bowled out for just 46 runs in the opening innings—their lowest-ever total in a home Test—India had already suffered a severe blow. New Zealand responded by capitalising and setting a challenging total of 402 runs, which put India under tremendous pressure. Even while India showed tenacity in their second innings, on Day 3, both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were frustratingly dismissed.
Visibly annoyed by his teammate's dismissal, Rohit was forced to watch from the pavilion as Kohli edged a delivery from Glenn Phillips to New Zealand wicketkeeper Tom Blundell. The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium was filled with sadness and disappointment upon the dismissal as the crowd saw yet another blow for India.
Rohit was removed in the same unfortunate fashion earlier. An encouraging innings was ended when the ball bounced awkwardly due to his defensive stroke, clipping the stumps. Following his departure, a pivotal 136-run partnership between Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan stabilized the innings. Shortly after reaching a personal record of 9,017 Test runs, Kohli got out. As they approach the crucial phases of Day 4, India has a significant void in their ranks due to his withdrawal. India would need other players to step up in order to mount a comeback and salvage the Test.
