Virat Kohli silenced his doubters and critics with a determined half-century in the third and final ODI against England in Ahmedabad, giving India a confidence booster ahead of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. After missing the three-match ODI series opener due to a swollen knee and falling cheaply in the second ODI, Virat Kohli made a strong comeback in the final game.

The dashing right-handed batter anchored India's innings and helped them post a formidable total of 357 with his 73rd ODI fifty against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. However, former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen wasn’t happy with Virat Kohli’s comeback knock.

Virat Kohli silences critics with gritty fifty, but Kevin Pietersen questions his dismissal in Ahmedabad

Well, Kohli’s fifty was a positive sign for the Men in Blue ahead of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, but Pietersen remembered his dismissal, as the Indian batting icon fell to the English spinner Adil Rashid for the second time in the ODI series and the 11th time in his career.

He believed Kohli should have capitalized on his start and pushed for a bigger score, rather than getting out at a crucial stage. Notably, Adil Rashid delivered a beautifully flighted ball right on the stumps, tempting Virat into a shot. The ball landed around middle and leg, drawing Kohli forward.

With a bit of drift and a slight turn away, it found the outside edge of the former Indian captain’s bat and went straight into the hands of England wicketkeeper Phil Salt. Kohli didn’t even wait for the umpire’s decision, as he could have made a huge stride and paid the price.

Kevin Pietersen said on Star Sports during the mid-innings in Ahmedabad, “He shouldn't be getting out to that ball. He's a much better player than that. And he will be kicking himself. That ball is bowled slowly through the air. So, he shouldn't have been over-committed on the front foot. He should have played back to it and he should have punched it into the offside, and he would still have been batting, and he probably would have gone on to get a big score.”

'He's got the length wrong'

Sharing his insights on Kohli’s dismissal, the commentator said, “You can see where it hits from a side-on angle. That hits the top of the bat. That hits the splice of the bat. Which means that he got his lengths wrong. That's nowhere near the middle of his bat. Have a look at that. That's where you can see where the ball has made contact with the bat.”

Pietersen signed off by saying, “Look how far forward his bat is in front of his pad. This means he's got the length wrong, and he's too good a player to get out like that. He shouldn't be doing it. He shouldn't be giving Adel Rashid that chance to get his wicket. You watch Joe Root. He will never be overcommitted on the front foot like that. No way.”

Notably, Kohli is currently making the headlines for unfollowing the YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, who is also known as BeerBiceps, on Instagram. Many users have posted screenshots suggesting that Virat stopped following him due to the ongoing controversy surrounding India’s Got Talent.