ENG vs IND: ‘Keep your ego in your pocket’ – Maninder Singh slams Virat Kohli after another batting failure

Indian captain Virat Kohli’s poor form with the willow seems like a never-ending affair as in the first innings of the ongoing third Test against England, he got out after scoring only 7 runs.

India’s decision to bat first went horribly wrong as they lost their first two wickets for just 4 runs forcing Kohli to enter the ground in the fifth over of the match.

Kohli and Rohit Sharma added just 19 runs for the third wicket before James Anderson picked up the prized scalp of the Indian skipper. More than the dismissal, the fashion in which Kohli got out became the red-hot topic, with fans as well as experts of the game criticising the Delhi-lad on social media.

It all happened in the 11th over of India’s first innings when Anderson bowled a full delivery teasing Kohli to have a go at it. The 31-year-old batter did precisely what the bowler wanted, playing a cover drive only to found a thick outside edge through to the wicketkeeper, who made no mistake behind the stumps.

In the series so far, Kohli has managed to score only 69 runs in four innings. Also, it was the 50th inning since the right-handed batsman has smashed a century for his national team.

Meanwhile, former India cricketer Maninder Singh has suggested Kohli to spend some time in the middle before going for his shots as he did during the 2018 tour.

“Before the Test match, Virat Kohli had said that in these English conditions, you’ve got to keep your ego in your pocket. And I think that is absolutely right. If he tries to dominate like Virat Kohli usually does, these are not the pitches where he can bat like that. He needs to spend some time there like he did on the previous tour, where he scored almost 600 runs. Once you know the pace and know how much the ball is seaming around, then you can carry on playing your shots,” said Maninder on ESPNcricinfo.

Maninder further stated that Kohli should keep his ego in his pocket because currently he is not playing on flat Indian pitches. The cricketer-turned-analyst felt Kohli is making the same mistake he did in his maiden England tour.

“These are not flat Indian pitches, where you can just put your foot forward and start driving. And what Kohli preached, he will have to practice. Keep your ego in your pocket. Virat Kohli is basically making the same mistakes that he was making on his first tour of England. He is playing away from the body. It could happen to you if you are not playing regular cricket. He got out a couple of times the same way as you did in 2014 when he just got 138 runs in 10 innings,” Maninder added.

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August 26, 2021 at 08:39AM