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Virat Kohli Sets Unwanted Record: New Zealand's bowlers once again forced the Indian batters to their knees with a brilliant bowling display. In the fifth and final match of the series, held on Sunday at Mount Maunganui, India's top order faltered badly. This poor performance has also brought some statistics associated with two of the biggest pillars of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, that are sure to disappoint the fans.
India's Top Order Fails Again in Mount Maunganui
This series has been nothing short of a nightmare for the Indian batters. In the fourth T20 match played at this very venue, the entire Indian team was bundled out for just 89 runs. In that match too, experienced batters like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed completely, unable to even open their accounts.
There were hopes that these senior players would make a comeback in the fifth match; while they managed to avoid being dismissed for a duck this time, they still failed to reach double digits (10 runs).
Also Read: Youngest T20 Captains in Cricket History: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Tops the List
Virat Kohli Repeats Unwanted Record After 11 Years
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In this match, Virat Kohli returned to the pavilion after scoring only 5 runs off 7 balls. This is the third time in this entire series that Kohli has failed to reach double digits.
Along with this, a surprising statistic has emerged
- For the first time in 11 years, Virat Kohli has been dismissed for a single-digit score three times in a single ODI series.
- Previously, during a tri-series held in Australia in 2014-15, Kohli was dismissed for single-digit scores in three matches.
- Throughout his entire career, this has happened a total of four times:
- The 2011 World Cup
- The 2012-13 ODI series against Pakistan
- The 2014-15 tri-series in Australia
- The current series against New Zealand (after a long gap of 11 years)
Growing Pressure on Experienced Veterans
Senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are always expected to rescue the team from difficult situations. However, the struggles of these stalwarts against New Zealand’s disciplined bowling demonstrate that the Kiwi bowlers have put the technique and patience of the Indian batters to a rigorous test. This lackluster performance by the batters in the final match of the series has certainly added to the concerns of the team management.
