Follow UsIndia struggled to chase down 193 against England at Lord’s during the third Test of the five-match series between the two teams. India were playing their first ever Test series in England without Virat Kohli since 2011. This was a factor behind India’s failure at a seemingly easy chase, according to former England speedster Steve Harmison.
“India has more hundreds, more top-order runs, and more new-ball wickets, but England has got a knack of finding a way to win. Finding a way of creating an event throughout a session to change the course of the game,” Harmison said during a show on ESPNcricinfo.
“For me, India has to start believing. This is where the likes of Virat Kohli were unbelievable. In a fourth innings chase, he goes and wins the game comfortably. He would have won that game comfortably at Lord’s,” he added.
Virat Kohli, for the record, was not part of only one Indian win while chasing in 48 matches that he played in SENA countries and that lone victory came at Cape Town in 2024.
Despite those numbers, the aura built by Kohli in ODIs regarding chases meant that even Nasser Hussain said that Kohli could have chased the total down. “No Virat Kohli, he’s retired. He was the king of run chases. India needs to find a new one that will see them over the line,” he said on Sky Sports.