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Former cricketer Madan Lal believes that the run-out incident involving Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal on Day 2 of the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the MCG affected Kohli's mindset.
With India reduced to 51/2, Kohli and Jaiswal showcased exceptional batting skills with their elegant stroke play. The Australian bowlers appeared to run out of ideas, prompting Australia captain Pat Cummins to adopt a defensive strategy rather than an aggressive approach against the duo. While Jaiswal exhibited aggression to unsettle the Australian attack, Kohli remained disciplined, consistently leaving deliveries outside the fourth or fifth stump. This forced the Australian bowlers to target closer lines to his body. India seemed in control until things took a downturn. Jaiswal drove a ball hard straight to Cummins and called for a run. Kohli, observing the ball's trajectory, hesitated while Jaiswal continued running. Cummins quickly assessed the situation and threw the ball toward the striker's end but missed. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey collected the ball and removed the bails, dismissing Jaiswal. Just five minutes later, Kohli, who had been leaving deliveries in the fourth and fifth stump line, edged a ball off Scott Boland to Carey and was dismissed for 36 off 86 balls. Madan Lal believes the run-out incident weighed on Kohli's mind, leading to a lapse in concentration. Speaking to ANI, he said, "Coming to Virat, he has scored a good 36 runs. I think that the run out played on his mind, and he lost his concentration. Whoever makes the mistake is on the mind of that person. That is where he lost his concentration." Over the past few years, deliveries outside the fourth and fifth stump have troubled Kohli, often resulting in edges to the slips or wicketkeeper. However, Madan Lal does not consider it a weakness. "This is not a weakness. A bowler exploits you. Australian bowlers bowl on such lines and lengths even if a batter has scored a century. They won't leave such lines," he explained. Following Kohli's dismissal, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja failed to make an impact on Day 3. India faced significant pressure, but Nitish Kumar Reddy (105*) and Washington Sundar (50) stepped up to rescue the team. India ended the day at 358/9, trailing Australia by 116 runs. (ANI)
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