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Why Did Virat Kohli Get Out Against Outside The Off Stump Delivery In Gabba Test?

Probuddha Bhattacharjee

Virat Kohli got dismissed by Josh Hazlewood in the third Test vs Australia [Source: @cricketcomau/x.com]Virat Kohli got dismissed by Josh Hazlewood in the third Test vs Australia [Source: @cricketcomau/x.com]

India is currently facing Australia in the third Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The match is in its third day and the Australians have taken the reins completely. After posting 445 runs on the board, Australia have taken three Indian wickets early and have put them under immense pressure.

Out of the three wickets that India have lost one was that of Virat Kohli. Josh Hazlewood exploited Kohli's weakness of outside the off stump to take the prized scalp. This is not a new problem for Kohli, he has been struggling with the particular line for a long time. However, in the recent times, it has become more evident and the teams have tried to exploit even more.

In this article, let us try and analyse Kohli's latest dismissal and see why he is struggling against the outside the off stump ball.

Kohli's Dismissal In The Third Test vs Australia

Partial Commitment To The Line Of The Ball

Virat Kohli not comitting to the line of the delivery [Source: @cricketcomau/x.com]Virat Kohli not comitting to the line of the delivery [Source: @cricketcomau/x.com]

If we see the pitch of the delivery the it was around the sixth or seventh stump line. Practically it was out of Kohli's reach with the time you get against an international pacer. However, the problem here is that he did not reach the line of the ball before deciding to play the shot. 

Playing Away From The Body

Kohli playing away from the body [Source: @cricketcomau/x.com]Kohli playing away from the body [Source: @cricketcomau/x.com]

Because of his immediate intention of playing the length and not the line, we can see that when he met the ball there was a big gap between his bat and pad. This gap gives the opportunity to world class bowlers the chance to beat both the edges of a batter. 

How Kohli Could Have Prevented This Dismissal?

  • Playing the line and not the length - We all know that Virat Kohli likes the play the cover drive. As a result when Kohli sees a full delivery he instinctively goes for an expansive drive. Thus it is evident that he plays the length and not the line. The first thing he could have done was play the line and if he had done that, he might have opted to leave the ball.
  • Keeping the bat close to his body - Even after he had committed to the length, if Kohli kept the bat close to his body he might have escaped the dismissal. The ball would have beaten him on the outside edge.
  • Softer bottom hand grip - We are all a fan of Kohli's wrist work. He is a great player when it comes to using his wrists to find a scoring opportunity. This indicates that he has a great bottom hand and instinctively uses it and also the fact that he has a strong bottom hand grip. But in Test cricket and especially in conditions like Gabba, where there is bounce, the experts and coaches tell you to use a softer bottom hand grip. If his bottom hand grip was soft in this case, even if he had edged the ball it could have dropped short of the slip fielder.