Batting into the 90’s is a serious ask for any batsman. Just the task of getting to the three-figure mark quickly can pose several mental hurdles for a batsman. Today, during the ongoing second ODI against Australia at Kolkata, Indian skipper Virat Kohli was one such batsman who got bogged down by the 90’s bug.
On a track that remains extremely tight and challenging for batting, India were doing well till Kohli was in the middle. Along with opener Ajinkya Rahane, the Indian captain brought up a fluent half-century. It didn’t have the trademark Kohli stamp on it, but on an extremely humid day and against more than a decent bowling attack on a challenging pitch, it was a valuable knock from Kohli.
Once Rahane was dismissed soon after his half-century, Kohli took the onus upon himself to up the ante. He did it successfully as well, as his strike rate steadily went up after his half-century. However, as he neared his 31st ODI ton, Kohli seemed to lose his concentration by a bit and played a few bold strokes.
A rare moment of a lapse in concentration saw Kohli trying to cut a ball from Nathan Coulter Nile that was too close to his body. The result was that Kohli chopped it on and was castled for a well made 92. This 92-run innings was the 6th occasion when Kohli was dismissed in the 90’s in ODI’s.
For India though, the record of being dismissed on most occasions in the 90’s is held by the Little Master, Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar was dismissed in the 90’s for a record, 18 times in his career. Yes, an agonizing 18 occasions when Tendulkar missed out on certain tons.
Below is the list of batsmen who have been dismissed in the 90’s on most occasions for India.
- Sachin Tendulkar – 18
- Mohammad Azharuddin – 7
- Virender Sehwag – 6
- MS Dhoni – 6
- Sourav Ganguly – 6
- Virat Kohli – 6*