Inzamam-ul-Haq, former Pakistan skipper assessed Virat Kohli’s stint at Lord’s on the first day. The India captain failed to close out the day and was dismissed for 42 off the second new ball by Ollie Robinson.
Coming off his disappointing outing at Trent Bridge, where he registered a golden duck, Virat Kohli was cautious in his approach and did not look his fluent best, especially at the start of the innings. However, he began to pick up the pace and registered a vital 117-run partnership with KL Rahul for the third wicket.
Inzamam-ul-Haq: Virat Kohli Should Have Played With Aggression In The 1st Innings For Getting More Confidence
Inzamam-ul-Haq admitted it was not a typical inning from Virat Kohli and felt he wanted to utilize the chance following his failure in the first Test.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Inzamam-ul-Haq said: “Virat was well set at 42 but his calibre and his style of play, he stepped out of it in this innings. His strike rate was only 39-40, despite Virat’s aggression. If Virat Kohli leaves aggression out of his game, then it will make a lot of difference to his batting.”
Inzamam-ul-Haq added: “It may have been because he could not score in the first innings, he must have been trying to utilize this chance. According to me, a big player like Virat will not be affected by one or two failures. But if he plays with aggression, and plays 100 balls regularly, his score should be in the range of 65-70, which would have given him a lot more confidence.”
After being put in to bat first by England, India got into the groove after surviving a testing spell of bowling by James Anderson and Ollie Robinson with the new ball. The rest of England’s bowling entourage failed to create much of an impact as India only lost three wickets on an opening day.
Inzamam-ul-Haq: India Should Aim To Score 500-550 In The 1st Innings
Inzamam-ul-Haq feels that with the platform India now has, they should aim to score 500-550 in the first innings and possibly secure the Test by an innings as well.
Inzamam-ul-Haq added: “India played really well, they will try to make 500-550 and put England under pressure. It does not mean England’s bowling is weak, Anderson played well, took two crucial wickets, and was looking in good rhythm as well. So, England will also try to make a comeback. India will also try to win this contest by an innings.”
India will start Day 2 on 276/3. KL Rahul (127*) and Ajinkya Rahane (1*) will walk out to bat for the visitors. However, on the 2nd day, India is placed on 287/5 losing KL Rahul (129) and Ajinkya Rahane (1) early. Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja are unbeaten on 9 and 1 respectively.
India cricket team captain Virat Kohli may have not been in the best form with the bat, but he is definitely appearing to be in good form with his captaincy skills. While there were a few doubters who questioned his captaincy after the World Test Championship final loss against New Zealand, Virat Kohli was excellent with his calls in the first Test against England, which ended in a draw. Virat Kohli is India’s most successful Test captain with 36 wins.