"Time to drop him" - Twiteratti reacts as Virat Kohli bags a golden duck vs LSG

Former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli's poor run with the bat continued as he got out for a golden duck against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Tuesday.

Asked to bat first by KL Rahul, Anuj Rawat departed on the fifth ball of Dusmantha Chameera's first over. He followed it up with the wicket of Kohli on the next ball.

The talismanic batter, who has been short of runs in recent times, tried to fetch a wide delivery. It was a back of a length ball and Kohli thought he could guide it through the off-side.

However, the ball bounced an inch or two more which got the better of the right-handed batter.

Kohli failed to keep the ball down and gave a straightforward catch to Deepak Hooda, who was placed in the point region. This is the first time in five years the 33-year-old has got out for a first-ball duck in the IPL.

Fans were disappointed with Kohli's poor showing and trolled him on social media. Here are some reactions:

Virat Kohli has managed to score only 119 runs in seven matches so far in IPL 2022 at an average of 19.83 and a strike rate of just over 120, quite below-par considering his lofty standards.

The Bangalore franchise were 7/2 at the end of the first over before Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell led a revival. They put on 37 runs before an unreal effort from Jason Holder ended Maxwell's (23 off 11) stay in the middle.

The West Indian all-rounder then chipped in with the wicket of Suyash Prabhudessai to put RCB on the back foot.

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"No one will be spared, not even Virat Kohli" - Shoaib Akhtar on batter's slump in form

Kohli's poor run with the bat has attracted criticism from all quarters, including from former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar. The 46-year-old reckoned Kohli could not get away with poor performances for too long in franchise cricket.

Speaking to Sportskeeda, Akhtar said:

"It's a performance-based IPL franchise model. No one will be spared, not even Virat Kohli. Even he can be dropped if he does not perform."

Virat Kohli will hope to bounce back and put up a better showing in the remaining seven group matches of IPL 2022.