While the Royal Challengers Bangalore team was unsure whether usual skipper Faf du Plessis would be fully healed, Virat Kohli continued to captain the team. Kohli was invited to take the helm against Rajasthan Royals as well, where RCB wore their green jersey for the IPL 2023 match at home.
Kohli had previously led in the match against Punjab Kings earlier this week for the first time since giving up the position in 2021. The dismissal of Kohli for a golden duck, though, was a frightening beginning for Chinnaswamy as captain as Trent Boult repeated his World Cup 2019 magic.
The Dismissal
Sanju Samson, the captain of RR, won the toss and elected to bowl first in Bengaluru, and it took place in the very first over of the game. Boult threw his signature inswinger, pitched longer and fuller on the middle. The ball was struck squarely on Kohli’s pad in line with the middle and leg as he attempted to play around the flip shot, but he missed it.
Boult appealed, and umpire Michael Gough raised his finger without hesitation. With his head down in utter disappointment, Kohli left the pitch without giving Faf du Plessis a second glance.
The dismissal resembled the way Boult had removed Virat Kohli during the India vs. New Zealand World Cup semifinal match. Boult’s middle stump delivery was longer and fuller, and Kohli was attempting the exact same play. The ball did not nip back in the delivery from four years prior, which was the only change.
In the IPL, Kohli was dismissed 10 times for a duck, seven of them were for golden ducks. Kohli has now been ejected for a duck six times as captain, which is tied for the fourth most in IPL history. Additionally, Kohli was removed for a golden duck while wearing the green jersey for RCB for the second time in a row.
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