At the end of day four of Wankhede Test, England was on a low point as Indian team needed just four wickets to seal the game and the series and England was on verge of facing their first-ever series defeat against India in a period of five years. England was grounded while Indian team was on a high.
A baffled member of a baffled party, James Anderson, who is one of the experienced members of England team gave a childish statement which was enough to show how confused and grounded England team was, “I am not sure if he (Kohli) has changed. I just think any technical deficiencies he has got are not in play out here. The wickets just take that out of the equation. There is not that pace in the wicket to get the nicks like we did against him in England – with a bit more movement,” he said.
He questioned the ability of World’s number three Test batsman Virat Kohli and tried to do off-field sledging but who would have known that it would come back to him as it is Michael Vaughan who has now attacked James Andeson, “Jimmy came out last night and showed no experience with the Indian press,” Vaughan told the BBC on Monday.
“You know what you’re getting with the Indian press – they’ll make one small comment into a huge headline.
“For him to say Virat’s technique’s not changed and it’s just the conditions here that suit his style of play – it’s so naïve.” he said.
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan, earlier on this tour, defended Indian skipper Virat Kohli when foreign media tried to drag Virat Kohli in a ball-tampering row.
And before that, he was the first person to predict a whitewash of England. Though there is still a match to go in the series but one can expect a wipe out of England in Chennai Test as well.
Till now, it has proved to be a disastrous tour for England with Alastair Cook also under the scanner, which might’ve forced him to say that Joe Root is ready to take over as the skipper of England team.
However, Cook still has one more chance and even a draw in the next game can help him salvage some pride or else we may see selectors take some step against him.