IND vs SL | Twitter reacts as Virat Kohli being castled stuns Eden Garden into deathly silence

01/12/2023

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The aura of some superstars often extends beyond their teams or even the sport at hand, but with such fame comes the responsibility to shoulder the great expectations of the masses. Virat Kohli's rapturous reception in Kolkata on Thursday was short-lived courtesy of Lahiru Kumara's inseaming jaffa.

India seized firm control of the driver's seat early on in the second ODI against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens on Thursday as they look well set to take a 2-0 unassailable lead in the three-game series. At the time of writing, both KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya looked locked-in in an unbeaten partnership of 55 with the Men in Blue chasing a low target of 216. The team appeared comfortable throughout the game, except for a brief tumultuous period in the second innings that all seemed to peak with the departure of Virat Kohli.

The former Indian skipper was called onto the crease in the fifth over itself after Rohit Sharma nicked a ball to the wicketkeeper. As soon as the 35-year-old began to walk off, the Eden Gardens roared and clapped in unison to welcome the in-form Virat Kohli who holds an excellent record at the iconic venue in Kolkata. However, the ovation was short-lived as the 34-year-old lasted merely nine deliveries despite spending nearly half an hour at the crease. After seven successive dot balls, Kohli played a handsome pull shot for four to get off-strike only for his bails to be sent cartwheeling the very next delivery.

Lahiru Kumara pitched a length ball around off-stump that seemed to leave Kohli unsure whether to rock back or play the ball on the front foot. To add to the batter's misery, the Kookaburra kept low after hitting the deck and jagged back in sharply towards the stumps. Caught off-guard, an awkward defence attempt from inside the crease only yielded a breach of the gap between the bat and pad of Kohli. As the stunned Delhite attempted to recover from the dismissal, the crowd at the stadium was shocked into silence as well, almost making it appear as if the team had let go of the game even though the score read just 62/3 with plenty of batting still to come. Twitterati's reaction was no different either as they expressed their sorrow on the talisman missing out on a third ODI century on the trot.

Out of syllabus

— MINI BUS 2022 (@minibus2022)

Clueless

🤣🤣
— BHATT OVAIS (@BHATTOVAIS9)

Bangrat?

ZIMRAT BangRat Career without Drop Catches and Paid Umpaires 😂
— Shigri Zada (@Shigri_Zada)

Criticism are back!

Some fans from India criticised Babar Azam's batting for a low strike rate on a hard Pitch. Babar strike rate was 69.3, and Virat's was 44.4. But at least they stood there until the end trying to win it whereas Virat Kohli can’t even save wicket.
— Shaharyar Ejaz 🏏 (@SharyOfficial)

Quiet outing

Castled ☝️

A quiet outing for Virat Kohli.

📸: Disney + Hotstar
— CricTracker (@Cricketracker)

For sure!

If kohli player around 100 balls he would have scor3d more than barber
— Wilbur Dsouza (@WDSZ_MUFC)

Definately not

Ho gai hatrick 😂😂

Kohli shabb🙂🤣
— Roze_barry_reponzil🥀🇵🇰 (@KhanReponzil)

Man of demand

Jahan Matter Bare Hote Hain Wahan Kohli Sahab So Jate Hain 😵‍💫
— 🇵🇰 Muhammad Noor 🇵🇰 (@Noor_Marriii)

Waste comparision

Everyday, they’re desperate to push this Babar vs Kohli rivalry, it’s genuinely funny. Kohli’s ruled cricket for a decade & he’s still showing much more than most contemporaries.

Babar’s a quality player but he’s got a long way to go to enter the same area code in terms of legacy
— Prashant (@PrashantMUFC)

Chase master