For a group that collapsed like a home of playing cards twice in 4 days, Virat Kohli’s promise to not buttress the batting by playing a further batsman for the following Test at The Oval gave the impression of misplaced contempt for recommendations put up by consultants. India have been rolled over for 78 within the first innings at Headingly after profitable the toss and selecting to bat and on Day 4 they misplaced 8 wickets for 63 to be dismissed for 278 within the second innings.
Experts of the stature of Sunil Gavaskar have spoken about playing a correct batsman at No. 6 in bowler-pleasant situations as an alternative of somebody like Rishabh Pant who has appeared clueless up to now in England.
But Kohli is adamant about stick together with his plans. You are speaking a few pure batsman?” he reeled off when requested in regards to the risk of playing an extra batsman within the subsequent match. I don’t imagine in that steadiness and I’ve by no means believed in that steadiness as a result of both you may try to save a defeat, or you may try to win a recreation. And now we have drawn video games prior to now with an analogous quantity of batters,” Kohli argued.
“If your top six (including keeper) don’t do the job there is no guarantee that the extra guy can bail you out. You have to take pride in taking responsibility and doing the job for the team,” he stated.
“The reason he wants to stick with the five-bowler theory is because it helps him in dismissing sides twice without tiring them much. “If you don’t have the ability or resources to take 20 wickets in a Test match, then you are already playing for two results and that’s not how we play,” Kohli countered.
Sounding gruff at being repeatedly probed within the publish-match convention, Kohli supplied an uncommon response when requested if there have been damage considerations with Ishant Sharma because the skilled bowler was battling rhythm. “I am not obviously watching his run-up as I am standing in the slips,” Kohli stated earlier than including, “I watch the bat of the batsman and I am not analysing how he (Ishant) is moving in the field. I think he moved like the last game. There was no issue whatsoever and as a batting group we failed in the first innings and in the second innings, we did a much better job. As a bowling group also, we accept that we were not consistent enough. That’s it,” he stated.