India’s current No.3 batter, Shubman Gill, was not available for selection due to a stiff neck, as the home side opted to bat first after rain washed out the opening day. On a lively pitch, Rohit Sharma was the first batter to perish, returning for just two runs after being bowled by Tim Southee.

Following the dismissal, Kohli, who usually bats at No.4, arrived one down to fill in for Gill. Manjrekar lauded Kohli for the move, calling him "a true champion". At the same time, he pointed out that greats like Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar "never wanted to go up the order in Tests", putting Kohli's move in perspective.

"Hats off to Virat Kohli! Coming out to bat at no 3 bcoz the team needed it. Ganguly, Tendulkar were very keen to open in white ball cricket, but never wanted to go up the order in Tests. That’s a true champion right there for you! Virat," Manjrekar wrote on X.

Hats off to Virat Kohli!
Coming out to bat at no 3 bcoz the team needed it.
Ganguly, Tendulkar were very keen to open in white ball cricket, but never wanted to go up the order in Tests.
That’s a true champion right there for you! Virat. 👏👏👏#INDvNZ

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) October 17, 2024

Though Sachin Tendulkar has batted in the top three only once, scoring 15, Sourav Ganguly has 763 runs from 13 matches at an average of 44.88, with three centuries to his name. He started his career at the top, before moving down to the middle order.

Manjrekar criticises Kohli for his technique

Kohli last batted in that position in 2016 against West Indies. His return to No.3 after eight years wasn’t fruitful, as he was dismissed for a nine-ball duck by a rising ball from seamer Will O’Rourke. Manjrekar, however, was quick to point out Kohli's technical flaw behind the dismissal.

"Have said this before will say it again. Virat has compounded his problems by wanting to be on the front foot to every ball. No matter the length. Today’s dismissal ball could have been comfortably tackled off the back foot," he wrote in another post.

Have said this before will say it again. Virat has compounded his problems by wanting to be on the front foot to every ball. No matter the length. Today’s dismissal ball could have been comfortably tackled off the back foot. #INDvNZ

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) October 17, 2024

Sarfaraz Khan, Gill’s replacement, walked in at No.4, scoring another duck. India succumbed to their worst start at home in 25 years before being reduced to 34-6 at lunch. O'Rourke picked up 3-13, while Matt Henry took 2-12 and Southee 1-8.

Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.