NEWS
Follow UsIndian skipper Virat Kohli hasn't been at his best of late. The 32-year-old has scored 407 runs in his last 10 Tests at an average of just 23.94. Kohli got out for a golden duck in the first Test but did get decent starts in both innings of the second encounter at Lord's.
The right-hander got scores 42 and 20 in the second Test but was dismissed in a similar fashion like he did in the first Test and the entire 2014 tour, nicking deliveries way outside off.
Talking about Kohli's similar modes of dismissals, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said: "That method has been successful for him. He has got 8000 Test runs with that back and across movement. But he is playing at deliveries way outside off stump and a little too early in the innings," Gavaskar said on the Sony Sports Network.
"This time around, the foot is somewhere else, the bat is somewhere else, which means that he hasn’t really played well. It could be about this much-talked-about word intent but in a five-day game, every batsman goes in to score runs. It’s the method that differs."
Kohli scored 42 off 103 deliveries in the first innings of the second Test but was trying to be a bit more aggressive in the second essay. He hit 20 off 31 deliveries before nicking a delivery, which could have easily been left, to the wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.
Gavaskar wants Kohli to give himself a bit more time before taking the attack to England.
"When you talk about this 'trying to take this attack to the opposition' approach, and if that is what intent is, it can get you into trouble like we saw. I think every batsman should be left alone to find his own method.
"This is a Test match. In ODI and T20I, it’s a completely different situation, but over here, what they need to look into is get themselves in and try to play in the old-fashioned V. Play only when you have fought through."