Nasser Hussain, the former England captain and broadcaster opined that the Indian skipper Virat Kohli seemed unsure against the moving ball and it will only get tougher for him as the series progresses. He pointed out how Virat Kohli was playing at deliveries in the corridor and kept nicking the ball behind.
Virat Kohli was caught behind in all five innings that he batted in the series so far. He got out twice each to pacers James Anderson and Ollie Robinson, and once to pace all-rounder Sam Curran.
Nasser Hussain: Virat Kohli Is Unsure Whether To Play Or Leave The Balls
Nasser Hussain zoomed in on a technical issue that was making it hard for Virat Kohli to pick the line of the ball.
“Kohli has played at balls he could be leaving, he seems to have that slight technical issue I highlighted in these pages with the positioning of his back foot and he is not picking up the line of Anderson and Robinson.
“Kohli is not sure whether to play or leave and whether to set himself for the inswinger or not. He doesn’t know what to do. It’s high class bowling and it’s not going to get any easier for him,” Nasser Hussain wrote.
The former England batter added that Virat Kohli batted well on Day 3 of the Headingley Test on his way to a half-century, but the old ball made it easier for him.
“He did go through a spell on the third day, admittedly against an older ball, where he was leaving it well. But it’s harder to leave the new ball because it swings later, and he was out again on Saturday in a familiar manner.”
Across formats, the India skipper hasn’t scored a century since November 2019 and has also slipped to the 5th spot in the ICC Test rankings as a batsman. Virat Kohli has scored just 124 runs at a below-par average of 24.80 in the three Tests against England so far. His compatriot Joe Root, on the other hand, has amassed 507 runs at a Bradmanesque average of 126.75.
Nasser Hussain Warns England Of Complacency Pointing Out To India’s Stunning Win In Australia With Injured Players Unavailable And Being 1-0 Down
Nasser Hussain warned England not to write India off after their emphatic victory at Headingley in the third Test. Nasser Hussain lauded the character India has shown in recent matches and reminded the home side of the way India came back after the Adelaide debacle.
“But the last thing England must do now is think they have done the hard work and write India off ahead of Thursday’s fourth Test in south London and the final match at Old Trafford — grounds which should suit their attack better.
“Remember, they were bowled out for 36 by Australia in Adelaide late last year but came back to pull off a famous series win. And after Kohli had gone home, too. India do have a lot of strength of character and fight, and central to that is their captain.”
Nasser Hussain reminded England that India has shown a lot of character under Virat Kohli. Both sides have little turnaround time after the third Test as the action moves to the Oval. The fourth Test of the series will commence on September 2, Thursday.
Being 1-0 down, losing the services of regular skipper Virat Kohli due to his paternity leave, having lost several key players like Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja due to injuries at various stages of 4 match Test series, a second-string Ajinkya Rahane-led India staged a comeback as they won their second straight Test series on Australian soil.