After two ducks, Kohli’s new-ball method and role face hard questions

New Delhi: Virat Kohli’s two early dismissals in the same phase – an eight-ball duck in Perth with a four-ball lbw in Adelaide – put his method against the new ball under scrutiny and turn an individual dip into a team concern.

In Perth, Mitchell Starc attacked the fourth-to-fifth-stump channel and drew a push with late footwork. In Adelaide, expecting the outswinger, Kohli was beaten by Xavier Bartlett’s ball that nipped back and was trapped in front. 

Taken together, the dismissals show uncertainty around off stump in the opening spell, which is the passage that should set the tone for the innings.

India’s younger batters look to Kohli’s first twenty balls for cues on tempo and judgment. When that period does not show measured leaves, a straight bat to the ball on the stumps, and low-risk rotation, the group feels the absence of a template more than it feels the absence of runs.

Role clarity matters as much as mechanics

If Kohli continues at No. 3, India needs a Powerplay template he owns from ball one, with a busy partner to disturb the bowler’s length and a visible commitment to rotation before expansion. If that plan is not evident in the next outing, a short reset, one game out for hard practice or domestic match time, would be a pragmatic step so selection rewards present method rather than past memory.

Leadership still travels through example even without the armband. When the senior batter shows stillness and judgment outside off stump, belief moves down the order. 

When he searches outside the line, uncertainty spreads just as quickly. Team talks cannot replace what the middle sees from the dugout.

Lessons from Rohit Sharma’s Adelaide innings 

Sharma accepted a tough surface, left well, absorbed the early spells, and expanded only after the seam tired. That sequence once defined Kohli’s batting. Returning to it will answer most questions faster than any message off the field.

None of this writes off a great player. It holds him to the standard he set. Two ducks can happen to anyone; two ducks that reveal the same flaw show what must be repaired.