Virat aims to turn around poor record
THORN IN THE FLESH
NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli has enjoyed tremendous success as a batsman and captain in Tests. He has led India to four consecutive series wins, two away in Sri Lanka and West Indies and two at home against South Africa and New Zealand. He is also the first India captain to score two double centuries. With India winning 10 out of their last 14 Tests, including a 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand, Kohli’s focus will now turn towards England in the upcoming fiveTest series, starting on November 9 in Rajkot.
For all of Kohli’s success on the international stage, he has failed to get on top of England. The time is perfect to set his poor record against them right.
Kohli has made a name by scoring in Australia and South Africa. His performances against them in home and away conditions make him one of the top players of the modern era. However, his record against England is poor. In five Tests, he has scored just 134 runs at an average of 13.4; and a highest of 39 during the third Test of the 2014 series in Southampton. When it comes to home comforts, once again, Kohli does not have a good record against England.
His 188 runs are boosted by the 103 he smashed in the fourth and final Test at Nagpur in the 2012 series. If one takes that knock out, his average falls to a poor 17.
James Anderson the destroyer There is one factor that has allowed England to dominate Kohli. No bowler has dismissed TEAMS VS AUSTRALIA VS ENGLAND VS SOUTH AFRICA VS AUSTRALIA VS ENGLAND VS SOUTH AFRICA CAUGHT FIELDER/ WICKETKEEPER
BOWLED LBW MAT INN 8 5 2 4 4 4 11 2 3 16 10 4 6 7 6 Kohli more often in Tests. No bowler has exposed his technical frailties more than James Anderson. In nine Tests, Anderson has got the better of Kohli five times.
If one looks at the mode of dismissals, it exposes Kohli’s vulnerability when it comes to facing England. In 16 innings, Kohli has been caught in the region between slip and the keeper 11 times. England’s bowlers targeted the good length area around off stump, especially during the 2014 England series, which resulted in Kohli edging to the slips.
Heading into the five-Test series, the time is perfect for Kohli to turn his poor record around. With Anderson sidelined for at RUNS 992 134 272 280 188 200 Avg 62 13.4 68 56 31.3 33.3 100s 5 0 1 1 0 0 50s 2 0 1 1 1 1 least the first Test and potentially for a longer time, and with the absence of top-quality spinners like Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar, who gave England a famous series win in the 2012-13 series, Kohli will be relishing the challenge.
With England suffering a humiliating loss in the second Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur, the build-up has been far from ideal. With R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in fine form during the New Zealand series, Kohli’s eagerness to perform well against England could be the catalyst for former England skipper Michael Vaughan’s fears of a 5-0 whitewash.
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