"You cannot leave that ball" - Cheteshwar Pujara on Virat Kohli's dismissal on Day 2 of BGT 2024-25 2nd Test

Cheteshwar Pujara has opined that Scott Boland deserves all the credit for Virat Kohli's dismissal in India's second innings of the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He pointed out that the Indian batting mainstay had no option but to play the delivery he got out to.

Kohli was caught behind off Boland for a 21-ball 11 in Adelaide on Saturday, December 7. India ended Day 2 at 128/5, still trailing Australia by 29 runs.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Pujara noted that the angle of Boland's delivery forced Kohli to play it.

"I would like to give the entire credit to Boland because of the corridor in which he bowled. The angle Boland creates is very difficult for a batter because every ball follows the batter, it comes in. So you cannot leave that ball," he said.

The veteran India batter added that the ball was in the corridor of uncertainty, which left Kohli indecisive.

"You feel every time that you have to play that ball because it seams and comes in, and seams and goes out as well from there. So that is an area of uncertainty where, as a batter, you are not sure whether you can leave that ball. So he had to play that ball," Pujara observed.

Virat Kohli walked out to bat when India were reduced to 42/2 at the fall of Yashasvi Jaiswal's wicket. He struck a solitary four in his 11-run knock before edging Boland to Alex Carey behind the wickets.

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"He is getting nicked off a lot currently" - Cheteshwar Pujara on Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli was caught at second slip off Mitchell Starc's bowling in India's first innings. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Cheteshwar Pujara acknowledged that Virat Kohli needs to work on his game.

"He (Kohli) will definitely have to work more. Virat is a batter who knows his game very well, especially in Australian conditions but he is getting nicked off a lot currently. He will himself want to practice so that he doesn't get nicked off going forward because that will be the Australian bowlers' game plan when he comes to bat in the next Test match," he said.

While observing that Kohli got out to a good ball, the cricketer-turned-commentator added that the former India captain needs to figure out how to tackle such deliveries in the upcoming games.

"However, this was a good ball. You have to praise him (Boland). You have to accept that you got out to a good ball, but you have to see how to emerge from that. He will have to work on how to improve in that area in the next match," Pujara observed.

Kohli scored an unbeaten 100 in India's second innings of the first Test in Perth. However, he has either been caught in the slips or by the wicketkeeper in his other three innings and will want to iron out this deficiency in his game before the third Test in Brisbane.