England vs India 2018: Ajit Agarkar Feels Virat Kohli Let the Game Slip Away
Sep 2, 2018 at 10:44 AM
Former Indian fast bowler Ajit Agarkar feels Team India skipper Virat Kohli let the game slip away on the Day 3 of the ongoing fourth Test match. England has put themselves in a strong position as they are currently leading by 233 runs. Furthermore, they have two more wickets in hand.
Meanwhile, India’s off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin looked toothless. Ashwin bowled just 18% of his deliveries in the rough area and also bowled quicker. He also tried too many variations which didn’t help him. Thus, there was a solitary wicket in his column.
Ajit Agarkar reckons Virat Kohli under-bowled Mohammad Shami who just bowled 13.5 overs in the day. In fact, Shami was India’s best bowler as he scalped three overs.
“I think Shami was the best bowler from the day and he bowled the least amount of overs from the top-four bowlers. For a period of 31 overs, he didn’t get to bowl. I think it is similar to what Root did, let the game drift a little bit. Again Ashwin kept bowling from one end. I can understand they wanted a lot more from Ashwin”.
“He had a tough day. One would have expected him to impact the game with a lot more of wickets. That wasn’t necessary for him. and Hardik Pandya, just to get India off to a new ball, comes and bowls nine overs for almost four runs an over and without getting a wicket is just getting the game goes along,” the former Indian pacer told ESPN Cricinfo.
Ajit Agarkar believes Virat Kohli missed a trick as he didn’t get his main bowlers on board. It is crucial for a captain to identify his best bowlers on a particular day and bowl them more than the others.
“When you know it is your second innings, and you know you don’t need to conserve your bowler for another innings, and then you give the new ball to Ashwin. On other days, it is understandable, but you have to pick your best bowlers on the day. These factors have made a definite impact on the game.”
India has their backs against the wall as England are leading by 233 runs. The tourists have their work cut out and will have bat out of their skin to chase the target. India has chased more than 200 runs outside the Asian conditions on only three occasions.