‘He doesn't know what to do’: Hussain predicts more difficulties for Virat Kohli against ‘high-class’ England bowling
Former England captain Nasser Hussain stated that Virat Kohli seemed unsure against the moving ball and can face more difficulties in the rest of the series.
Virat Kohli’s struggle against the moving ball has been one of the major points of discussion in the ongoing 5-match Test series. The India captain has been caught behind in all the five innings, losing his wicket twice to James Anderson and Ollie Robinson, while he fell prey to Sam Curran on one occasion.
Kohli looked in a good space while batting in the second innings of the Headingley Test. On the fourth day, he even notched up a half-century after a hiatus of eight innings but soon edged a delivery from Robinson to Jos Buttler. His dismissal triggered India’s batting collapse as the visitors lost 7 wickets in a span of 54 minutes, ultimately losing the game by an innings and 76 runs.
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Former England captain Nasser Hussain, in his latest column for The Daily Mail, analysed the flaw in Kohli’s technique. He stated that the India skipper seemed unsure against the moving ball and can face more difficulties in the rest of the series.
“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,” Hussain wrote.
“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,” he added.
Kohli has scored just 124 runs in five innings, after beginning the series with a golden duck against Anderson in Nottingham. His average in this series in 24.80, with a highest score of 55.
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After defeating India in Leeds and levelling the series 1-1, England will lock horns with the hosts in the fourth Test which begins on Thursday at The Oval, London.