Kohli Repeats Same Mistake; India in Trouble as Batters Queue Up for Pavilion

In the fifth Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Indian star batter Virat Kohli was dismissed after repeating a familiar error. Kohli, facing Scott Boland’s delivery on the off-side, attempted a shot only to edge it to Steve Smith at slip. Kohli’s repeated dismissals in a similar manner throughout the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series have become a cause for concern.

India’s second innings saw another shaky performance. After an opening partnership of 42 runs between Yashasvi Jaiswal (22) and KL Rahul (13), the team lost crucial wickets in quick succession. Shubman Gill (13) and Virat Kohli (6) failed to make an impact, leaving India struggling at 78/4.

However, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant brought some much-needed relief with an aggressive counter-attack. Playing in T20 style, Pant smashed consecutive boundaries and reached his half-century in just 29 balls. At stumps, Pant remained unbeaten on 61, with Ravindra Jadeja supporting him at the other end with 2 runs. India’s total stands at 124/4 after 22 overs, giving them a lead of 128 runs, including a slim 4-run first-innings advantage.