After the forgettable tour of England, where he struggled to put bat to ball, Virat Kohli is being facing a lot of criticism, and in all fairness, he deserves the criticism he’s getting, for the way he batted in England.
Former England captain Sir Geoffrey Boycott, in his column on Gocricket, used very strong words to criticise Virat Kohli’s approach in England.
“He [Kohli] has had a rotten time in the Tests, and he must now look beyond that and use his brains to get out of trouble, because talent is no good without intelligence, and Kohli is too talented a player to waste his time and energy in such a manner.”
There’s no doubt that Virat Kohli is a fantastic batsman, and one of the best in the world, at the moment. In his short Test carter, Virat has shown how good a batsman he is, and this is the reason why he is getting criticised more than anyone else in the team.
It’s true that Virat Kohli’s technique was exposed in England when James Anderson tested him by bowling consistently in the corridor of uncertainty, and Kohli just kept hanging his bat outside the off-stump. But, the major reason for his failure was his overconfidence. Cricket is all about adapting and adjusting your game as per the requirement of different conditions. Kohli has done it before (Australia, South Africa and New Zealand) and this is why, Virat’s failure in England has come as a big shock for the Indian fans. Kohli’s approach in England was either too defensive or too attacking. In the first two Tests, he started playing his shots too early in the innings. In the third and fourth Test, he went too defensive by trying to leave too many deliveries. In the fifth Test, Kohli again played rash shots and got out.
It’s true that Anderson bowled very well against Virat Kohli, but then, you would back Kohli to win the battle in at least one of the 10 innings. But, it didn’t happen, and it’s worrisome. Before the start of the series, the whole buildup was around Virat Kohli and almost every cricket pundit had picked Virat Kohli as India’s best bet in England. No one would have thought that will fail in 10 consecutive Test innings in England. And this is why it was a big setback for Virat and his fans.
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Now, Virat’s next test will be in Australia, and he will have to overcome his technical flaws before that. The Test series in Australia is going to be even more tougher, as Australian bowling attack led by Mitchell Johnson, has been phenomenal off late.
Virat is known as someone who works very hard in the nets. After the way he went down in England, he would be desperate to prove his metal once again.
MY ADVICE TO VIRAT
Although, he’s an attacking batsman, he would have to start trusting his defense a little more. On the juicy pitches of Australia, he will have to be a lot more patient. It’s not going to be easy but I would back Virat to lift his game by overcoming his technical flaws, and do well in Australia.
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by The Cricket Analyst
