Indian cricket team stalwart Virat Kohli is widely regarded as one of the finest batters of the modern era. Throughout his illustrious career, he has established and broken countless records with his extraordinary batting performances across formats. However, while most of his achievements belong with the bat, one particular milestone stands out as entirely unique because it stems from his bowling rather than his batting. This extraordinary feat involves taking a wicket on the 0th ball of an over.
What is the 0th ball in cricket?
In the terminology of cricket, the 0th ball refers to a delivery that is not a legal ball. For instance, if a bowler begins an over and bowls a wide as their very first delivery, it is technically considered the 0th ball. Ordinarily, deliveries of this nature do not attract any special attention unless an unusual incident occurs during the play. Virat Kohli managed to script a rare piece of history by capitalizing precisely on such an unconventional moment.
The memorable T20 match in Manchester
The background of this unusual record dates back to 2011, when the Indian team was in England to play a T20 international match in Manchester. During the course of that game, then-captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni handed the ball to Virat Kohli to bowl an over. As Virat stepped up to bowl, he delivered his very first ball down the leg side, which drifted wide of the batter Kevin Pietersen.
Quick glovework behind the stumps
Seeing the wide delivery, Kevin Pietersen stepped down the track in an attempt to play a big shot, but he completely missed the ball. Stationed alertly behind the stumps, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni wasted no time in whipping off the bails to complete a sharp stumping.
Securing a wicket without a single legal delivery
The on-field umpire signaled the delivery as a wide, but Team India simultaneously secured a wicket through the stumping. This meant that not a single legal ball was officially registered in Virat's over, yet a wicket was credited to his bowling figures. This peculiar occurrence is celebrated as a 0th ball wicket in cricket lore.
