[Watch] Virat Kohli edges to first slip at the stroke of Lunch on Day 5 of BGT 2024-25 4th Test

Team India ace batter Virat Kohli perished while attempting a lavish cover drive off Mitchell Starc's full delivery in the dying stages of the first session on Day 5 (Monday, December 30) of the Boxing Day Test. He scored five runs off 29 deliveries and lost his wicket at a crucial stage of the contest to hand Australia all the momentum.

Coming into bat after Pat Cummins' double strike that saw Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul return to the pavilion, Kohli had a huge task ahead of him as India attempted to make something of the 340-run target put up by the opposition.

The right-handed batter tried to employ the cautious approach from the first innings, with some tight bowling by the Australians not giving him any other option. He had shown relatively good discipline when it came to the deliveries outside the off-stump, but could not resist a flashy drive as Starc tempted him with one by pitching it full and wide.

Usman Khawaja took a safe catch at first slip to seal Kohli's departure, effectively ending the session too. Have a look at the dismissal right here:

Team India were reduced to 33-3, heading into Lunch on Day 5. They still need 307 runs for a historical win or survive two more sessions for a hard-earned draw to take the series to Sydney.

Starc had dismissed Kohli in the pink ball Test as well

The left-arm pacer had got the better of Kohli in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval too. On that occasion, the batter was caught in two minds whether to play or leave the length delivery. He ended up making his decision too late as the ball caught the edge of the bat as he was trying to move it out of the way.

This marks the sixth time that Starc has dismissed the former India skipper in Test cricket. The first instance came during the Sydney Test of the 2014-15 Border Gavaskar series, while the most recent one prior to the ongoing series, was in the first innings of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final in 2023.