Curran in awe after watching Kohli bat

BIRMINGHAM:England’s SAM AND HIS ELDER BROTHER TOM WISHED THEY HAD GOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO RUB SHOULDERS WITH KOHLI PLAYING FOR SURREY.

Sam Curran missed out playing with Virat Kohli for Surrey after the India skipper pulled out of a planned stint with the county before arriving on the Test tour because of a neck injury.

However, the 20-year-old, who upstaged senior pace partners with a four-wicket haul on Day 2 of the Edgbaston Test, in only his second Test, saw first-hand as Kohli produced a brilliant 149 to lead India’s fightback.

Sam and his elder brother Tom, also an allrounder who has played two Tests and appeared for CSK in IPL 2018, wished he had got an opportunity to rub shoulders with Kohli playing for Surrey. “It’s obviously a pretty cool feeling standing in the field and you’ve got the likes of my heroes – Jimmy (Anderson) and Broady (Stuart Broad) and Stokesy (Ben Stokes) and everyone, running into bowl, and Kohli – all these boys I’ve grown up watching, and I’ve been thrown in to play against them,” he said after returning with 4/74.

Kohli won the battle with England pacers, especially Anderson and Stokes, to score a superb first century in England and keep the visitors afloat.

“We had them 100/5 and felt in the game. Then Virat played really well with their tail and frustrated us a little bit. Credit to a great innings there, that’s what Test cricket is about. You play against the best players. I’m only in my second game but it was a little eye-opener watching the way he (Kohli) bats.”