‘Caused him to lose focus’: Virat Kohli fans storm Jos Buttler’s Instagram, accuse ENG captain of ‘intentional’ throw

Walking in after a 136-run opening stand between Rohit and Shubman Gill, Kohli initially looked composed. He played a delightful on-drive off Gus Atkinson for a boundary, drawing a loud cheer from fans.

However, his stay was cut short in the very next over when Rashid outfoxed him. The leg-spinner got the ball to grip, taking Kohli’s outside edge, and Phil Salt completed a sharp catch behind the stumps. England’s review confirmed the faint edge, forcing the Indian batter to depart without making a significant impact.

However, right before the delivery which dismissed Kohli, Adil Rashid had floated the previous delivery outside off, inviting a drive. Kohli obliged, pushing the ball towards point, where England captain Jos Buttler swiftly collected it. In an attempt to return the ball, Buttler’s throw accidentally struck Kohli.

The English skipper immediately raised his hand in apology, and while Kohli did look irked at first, he quickly raised his hand in gesture to acknowledge the apology. The crowd at the stadium, however, wasn’t as forgiving. And it seems the fans on the internet didn’t take the throw from Buttler lightly, too, as many insinuated that it broke Kohli’s concentration, causing him to nick the next delivery.

In fact, a lot of Kohli’s fans also stormed Buttler’s Instagram comments, criticising him for hitting the Indian batter.

Kohli is enduring a rough patch with the bat, having failed to register a single half-century across the home Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand last year. Barring a century in Perth, the Indian batter also struggled to make a mark in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy; he scored only 6 in his comeback for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy.

Adil Rashid’s record

With the dismissal of Kohli, Rashid joined an elite group of bowlers to have dismissed Kohli 10 or more times in international cricket, alongside Tim Southee, Josh Hazlewood, Moeen Ali, and James Anderson.