[Watch] Virat Kohli nicks first ball to slip, adjudged not out after ball deemed grounded in BGT 2024-25 5th Test

Team India ace batter Virat Kohli survived a huge scare and avoided a golden duck in the first session of the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar series at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The right-handed batter had nicked the ball to Steve Smtih in the slip cordon, who lobbed it to gully. However, after examining the replays, the third umpire adjudged the decision as not out.

Kohli had come out to bat in the eighth over after Yashasvi Jaiswal departed for 10. The batter went after a delivery in the off-stump corridor right away. Smith acrobatically lunged forward to catch the ball and managed to pouch it. However, he did not have the greatest grip on it and was starting to lose balance.

Before falling over, he lobbed the ball over so another member of the slip cordon could get to it, keeping the catch alive. While at first glance, Smith seemed to have done the act in one smooth action. However, replays in slow motion suggested that he might have grounded the ball during the process of throwing the ball up.

The sole angle was not the best one to convince whether the ball made contact with the ground or not. However, third umpire Joel Wilson was convinced and delivered the not-out verdict.

Have a look at the incident right here:

Steve Smith was left unhappy with the third umpire's decision as he felt that he had not grounded the ball while lobbing it upwards. The former skipper, one of the best slip fielders in the world, when it comes to both close-range and far-range, has already claimed some brilliant reflex catches in the series so far.

Virat Kohli looking to make the most of the reprieve

A golden duck would have been catastrophic given Kohli's recent run with the bat. After a bleak home season, he managed to quieten the critics with a ton in Perth during the series opener. However, he has struggled since then, falling victim to the line outside off-stump on each occasion.

As of writing, he is batting on nine runs, trying to negotiate the new ball. India's score reads 33-2 after 13 overs midway through the first session.