'Kohli getting out early in both innings was a massive factor' - Sanjay Manjrekar on India’s defeat against New Zealand

Team India, after having a stellar start to their tour of New Zealand, with a 5-0 win in the t20I series, suffered a whitewash in the ODIs. Things did not get better when they lost the first Test match too by a margin of 10 wickets and New Zealand gained a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. This was also the Indian team’s first loss in the World Test Championship.

After the loss, the team came under heavy scrutiny from the cricket community. And, everything from their batting, bowling and fielding performances were heavily criticised. Even the captain of the team, Virat Kohli opened up and accepted the sub-par performances of the team that he led in the match.

Sanjay Manjrekar believes Virat Kohli’s failure to perform cost India dearly

Speaking upon this loss, the ex-Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar, pointed out the reasons why India lost the match so badly. “Kohli getting out early in both innings, that was a massive factor. If Virat Kohli gets runs, it puts the opposition off their plans. New Zealand stuck to their plans, nobody was out there counter-attacking and this did not help India’s cause,” Manjrekar was quoted saying by TimesNow.

It is no hidden fact that Virat Kohli has been underperforming as per his standards in international cricket off late. In fact in his last 20 innings in international cricket, he has not been able to score a century. And, this must be a worrying factor for team management and Kohli himself.

The current Indian skipper does not have any ICC Trophy in his cabinet and he would definitely want to win the upcoming T20 World Cup. And, for that to happen, he will have to make sure that he gets back to form soon.

As far as the Test series is concerned, the Indian team, that was not able to do anything special in the first match will surely look to make a comeback. They will put their best foot forward at Christchurch and win the match that starts from the 29^th of February. A loss or even draw would mean a loss of the series and Kohli and his troops would not want that to happen.

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