Former Indian Cricketer Says Virat Kohli Will need To follow What He Preaches After Headingly Setback

Highlights:

• In the 3^rd test against England, India were only able to put up a score of 78 runs
• It was 7^th time in Tests that Virat Kohli fell to James Anderson
• In the 4 innings, the Indian skipper has only managed to score 69 runs

At the third Test against England at Headingley, Indian captain Virat Kohli had admitted that the host nation is the toughest to bat on. Kohli had stated that the cricketers need to keep their egos in their pockets and respect the conditions all the time.

Winning the toss and choosing to bat first, the men from India were sent back to the dressing room with just 78 on the scoreboard. In the opening session, India found themselves reeling at 21/3 in the very first hour with the skipper back in the hut.

Kohli was dismissed as he went for an expansive drive on an off-stump delivery of James Anderson. The Indian skipper had just 7 runs to his name. He could have left the ball to the keeper, instead, Kohli ended up edging the ball with the bat. The Indian captain, known for power-hitting, in the ongoing series has managed to score only 69 runs (in the four innings).

Also Read: India Tour Of England: Anderson On Bouncer Barrage From Bumrah, “I felt he wasn’t trying to get me out”

Former Indian cricketer Maninder Singh reckoned that Kohli should spend some time in the middle order before he goes for his shots. Maninder also seconded Kohli’s statement that in the present English conditions, one must keep his ego in the pocket. He believed that the Indian skipper was absolutely right to say so and said, “what Kohli preached, he will have to practice.”

Referring to his previous tour, wherein the batter scored 600 runs, the former cricketer opined that Kohli should spend some time on the pitch before going for the shots. “Once you know how much the ball is seaming around, you can play your shots,” he said while speaking to ESPNCricinfo. The former Indian cricketer stated that English pitches are not the right ones to dominate, the way Kohli does others.

According to Maninder, Kohli is repeating the mistakes that he made on his first tour of England. He said that the Indian skipper is playing away from the body and it happens if you are not playing regular cricket. Maninder further said that Kohli is making the same technical and mental mistakes on the current tour as he did on his gruesome 2014 tour, wherein he had scored 138 runs in 10 innings.