Sanjay Manjrekar Slams Virat Kohli For Getting Out On Duck In Bengaluru, Says, 'He Has Compounded His Problems By...'

India national team vs New Zealand cricket, 1st Test: After Virat Kohli got out for a nine-ball duck in the series opener against New Zealand, ex-India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar didn't stop himself from slamming Kohli for the approach that he used. He highlighted the mistake in Kohli's technique, which led to his early dismissal.

Manjrekar took to his official X account and reckoned that Kohli's technique of using the front foot is one of the reasons why he is struggling in the longest format.

“Have said this before, and will say it again. Virat has compounded his problems by wanting to be on the front foot of every ball. No matter the length. Today’s dismissal ball could have been comfortably tackled off the back foot", Sanjay Manjrekar had written on his official X account.

Also Read: Fans slam India batters for their tactics in overcast Bengaluru conditions 

Have said this before will say it again. Virat has compounded his problems by wanting to be on the front foot to every ball. No matter the length. Today’s dismissal ball could have been comfortably tackled off the back foot. #INDvNZ

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) October 17, 2024

This analysis points out why Kohli fell cheaply multiple times as he has continuously batted with a front-foot-heavy mindset, especially in those situations, where he was supposed to use a back-foot approach.

Kohli's stubborn front-foot play proving costly

William O'Rourke getting Kohli out explains his analysis correctly. William bowled a short-length delivery as the ball went towards off-stump. Kohli came forward and that led to an edge to backward short leg and he could have avoided that if he had used the back foot.

The fans and the experts related to Manjrekar's analysis and realized Kohli's ability to use this approach and his failure to score big was due to his stubbornness in the last few innings.

Kohli's batting style has been brilliant in the last few years, especially while using the front foot and Manjrekar's analysis has increased the criticism for the star batter.

Will the star batter adjust his technique?

And as he plans to prepare for the second innings, all he now needs to bounce back to form is a tactical tweak. If the star batter considers Sanjay Manjrekar's analysis seriously and adjusts his stance according to the length, he will regain his form.

As the fans await for him to regain his form, it remains to be seen as to whether Kohli changes his tactics to strike a balance between instinct and strategy. Both the fans and the experts are waiting for him to come back to form in the longest format.