T could well have happened on the very first delivery he faced. Virat Kohli had entered a mixed reception at a packed Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday morning. It started with a bit of a boo before the applause kicked in. Kohli, walking in at the fall of Yashasvi Jaiswal for 10, was already under immense pressure. Rohit Sharma, the other senior batter and captain had "opted out", because of his poor form, and now the focus had shifted to the former captain. Kohli did not just need runs; he needed a big knock to keep the wagons away from circling.
As always, he took a middle and leg guard with a slightly closer stance than he had in Melbourne, and looked up to face Scott Boland. The Victorian pacer had been the most venomous of the lot for Australia. Every time he took the field, Boland ran in and hit that one box of a line and length that ensured the ball hit the top of the off-stump. On occasions, the ball would bounce extra, catching the batter off guard.
Here was Kohli, probably under more pressure than he ever was through this tour. As the ball pitched in that small area that Boland ever so consistently hits, Kohli shuffled across, got on his back foot and fended at it. The ball squared him up, took the outside edge and flew to the right of Steve Smith at second slip. Smith tried to hold on, but all he could manage was to lob it up with his knuckle. Marcus Labuschagne caught it on the rebound and Kohli stood stunned.
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