India vs Australia: Virat Kohli Faces Fans' Wrath as ‘Chokli' Trends on Twitter

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India vs Australia: The highly anticipated opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth witnessed a dramatic day, marked by the brilliance of India's bowlers and the shocking struggles of senior batsman Virat Kohli.

Virat Kohli's subpar performance both with the bat and in the field left fans venting their frustration online, leading to the unflattering nickname 'Chokli' trending on X, formerly Twitter.

Returning to his favourite hunting ground, Kohli's poor run of form continued as he was dismissed for just five runs in the first innings. Opting to bat outside the crease to counter the Australian bowlers' movement, Kohli appeared unsettled from the outset. Facing Josh Hazlewood, he misjudged a short-pitched delivery that climbed on him, edging it to Usman Khawaja in the slips. This brief 12-ball stint added to his mounting struggles in recent years.

Things worsened when Kohli dropped a straightforward catch of Marnus Labuschagne in the second slip off Jasprit Bumrah's bowling. Labuschagne, yet to score, was handed a lifeline, squandering India's chance to strengthen their grip on the match. Kohli's honesty in indicating to the umpire that the catch wasn't cleanly taken earned him praise, but it couldn't shield him from the backlash.

While India's bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah with three wickets, kept the team in contention after being bowled out for a paltry 150, the fans' disappointment with Kohli was palpable on social media.

One fan tweeted, "No one other than Virat chokli should be blamed for this collapse. He was the most senior batsman in the team, but he threw his wicket. As a senior player you have to step up in such situations, but Kohli failed again."

The trolling didn't stop there. Another remarked, "-Can't bat -Can't ball -Can't field -Can't captain -Plays for opponent. Chokli dropped an easy catch 😭😭😭. Is Chokli the worst ever player to play cricket?"

A particularly scathing tweet read, "Chokli omfg, dropped a dolly 🤣🤣🤣. What a liability he is. Never forget that his fans trolled Dhoni for not retiring early. Meanwhile, this clown has been playing test cricket with an average of 30 for 5 years."

Meanwhile, India ended Day 1 of the Perth Test on top despite scoring just 150. Jasprit Bumrah's fiery spell dismantled Australia, reducing them to 67/7. He claimed 4 wickets, including Steve Smith's rare golden duck. Mohammed Siraj and debutant Harshit Rana added crucial breakthroughs.

Earlier, India's batting faltered, with Nitish Reddy (41) and Rishabh Pant (37) providing some resistance. Josh Hazlewood's 4-wicket haul led Australia's bowling. With a lead of 83, India's bowlers kept them firmly in control.