Manjrekar reveals reason behind Virat Kohli's average slipping to 48

Virat Kohli (Pic: File Pic)

Former Team India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels that the stalwart Virat Kohli's habit of not exploring another way to overcome his weakness of chasing outside off-stump deliver has brought his batting average down to 48.13.

Virat Kohli who showcased his prowess by smashing a glorious century in the first match departed on just seven runs in the second match's first innings.

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It was a length ball outside off by left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc and it rose sharply on the batter, leaving Kohli in two minds. The ball landed on the fifth or sixth stump and as it moved away. Kohli looked tentative and ended up deflecting it to the slip cordon where Steve Smith did the rest.

"One important reason why Virat's average has slipped to 48 now, is the unfortunate weakness outside off. But more crucially his adamance to not try another way to tackle it," Manjrekar tweeted moments after the Indian batting mainstay's dismissal.

In the longest format of the game, Virat Kohli's batting average used to be around the mid-50s. However, a rough patch in his career made it come down to his 40s for the first time in almost five years.

Before the tour of Australia, Virat Kohli managed only 93 runs across three matches at an average of 15.50 against New Zealand at home.

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc made the pink ball talk for his maiden five-wicket haul before Nitish Reddy's fearless approach pushed India to 180 all out on day one of the day-night Test.

Having reduced India to 82 for four at tea, Australia took the remaining six wickets at the cost of 98 runs before the dinner break was taken. The Australian pace trio of Starc, Pat Cummins and Scott Boland got more out of the pink ball in the second session.

(With Agencies Inputs)