India is at a crossroads in the high-stakes arena of the 2023 World Cup. India is eager to regain its former status as the tournament’s dominant team after South Africa surpassed them in the standings with a dramatic 1-wicket victory against Pakistan. England, a squad that is now beaten and battered in the competition, will be their next opponent. The match between India and England at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium has cricket fans all around the globe buzzing with anticipation.
Former Indian captain Virat Kohli spoke with Star Sports before this highly anticipated matchup. He mentioned the English fast bowler Mark Wood as someone he can’t wait to meet. Despite Wood’s lacklustre showing in the competition (he only picked up three wickets in five games), Kohli still had high hopes for him. Wood has had some success in the past against Kohli, having dismissed him once in six previous matches.
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“Mark Wood, I have played against Mark Wood. I think he is a great bowler, he has skillset to trouble the batsmen, so I would like to test myself against real pace,” says Virat Kohli.
The English spinner Adil Rashid, who has taken nine of Virat Kohli’s wickets in international cricket, will also be against him in this match. Meanwhile, Kohli has a strong average of 64.4 versus Rashid, which is a tribute to their fierce rivalry.
Kohli was effusive in his praise of Adil Rashid. He said that Rashid is a very underestimated bowler who has done excellent work for England time and time again. The former Indian skipper is looking forward to playing Rashid because of the difficulty they will have against him. Even though Rashid has dismissed Kohli three times in ODIs, Kohli still has a strike rate of 93.1 against him. In one-day internationals, Kohli has a remarkable average of 70.66 against Rashid.
“Adil Rashid is a very underrated bowler and he has been doing amazingly well for England, a very challenging bowler that I am looking forward to play against,” says Virat Kohli.
Virat Kohli also reveals that he will want to emulate the reverse lapse shot of Joe Root. “Joe is a great all round, the way he plays the reverse lap, I would like to take that shot,” Kohli added.