After a brilliant win in the second Test match against England, Team India started the third one really poorly. The entire team was bowled out on day one of the third game. They managed to score a mere 78 in 40.4 overs. It was shameful after the win at Lord’s. Skipper Virat Kohli would have been disappointed by the way that his team played. He did not do much to help his case either, as he was poor with the bat too.
Keeping that in mind, there was a lot of criticism for the Indian captain. That was after such a shameful performance that made the fans angry. The first day was all England’s, as they dominated the Indian batting with some brilliant bowling. James Anderson was the pick of the bowlers after the visitors won the toss and opted to bat.
Maninder Singh Makes A Bold Statement About Virat Kohli After A Horrific Start To The Third Test Match Against England
In the third test between India and England in the ongoing Test series, the Men in Blue are having a tough time. India was the favourite to win the first match in the series but rain on the fifth day caused the result of that game into a draw. After the tremendous victory in the second game at Lord’s cricket ground last week, Virat Kohli’s men were full-on confidence going into the third one. After electing to bat first, India got all out for just 78 in 40.4 overs.
The captain, Virat Kohli is having a torrid time with the bat and still struggling to make a big score. In the first inning, he got out for only 7 after playing an expansive drive against James Anderson who had his tail up for this game right from the start. The England cricket team legend shown his class with a terrific opening spell and rattled the Indian top order in quick time. Rohit Sharma survived 105 balls and was the highest scorer of the batting lineup after he made 19. That sums up how poor India was with the bat after Kohli decided to send England to bowl first.
The Indian skipper admitted that English conditions are the toughest place for batting for them and eventually they could not survive two sessions against a rejuvenated England bowling. Kohli got dismissed going for an expansive drive off the outside the off-stump delivery off James Anderson. In four innings, Kohli managed to score only 69.
What Maninder Singh Said While Speaking To ESPNCricinfo?
Former India cricketer Maninder Singh has now advised Virat Kohli to spend some time in the middle before going for his shots.
“Before the Test match, Virat Kohli had said that in these English conditions you’ve got to keep your ego in your pocket. I think that is absolutely right.
“If he tries to dominate like Virat Kohli usually does, these are not the pitches where he can bat like that. Needs to spend some time there as he did on the previous tour where he scored almost 600 runs. Once you know the pace and know how much the ball is seaming around, then you can carry on playing your shots.
“These are not flat Indian pitches, where you can just put your foot forward and start driving. What Kohli preached, he will have to practice. Keep your ego in your pocket.”
The Story At The End Of Day 2 And How This Game Seems To Be Going
After the end of Day 2, England is 423 for the loss of eight wickets and they are 345 runs ahead. India has to bring their A+ game in the second innings batting to have any chance to save this test match because there is no rain forecast in Headingley for the next three days. According to Mahinder, Kohli has not learned from the mistakes he made on his first tour of England in 2014.
“Virat Kohli is basically making the same mistakes. The ones that he was making on his first tour of England. He is playing away from the body. It could happen to you if you are not playing regular cricket. He got out a couple of times the same way as you did in 2014. When he just got 138 runs in ten innings.
“I think things start coming back. Am I playing the wrong line? Should I be leaving these balls? All these Indian boys, in the first two Tests, were leaving balls outside the off stump. I do not know what happened in this Test match. They were wanting to play at it and paid the price for it. With Virat Kohli, he is going through a bad patch.”
