Former Team India captain Kapil Dev has shared a piece of advice for Virat Kohli as he embarks on the tour of England on June 2. The Asian giants will play the ICC World Test Championship final on June 18 followed by the five-match Test series against England.
Kohli has had longstanding problems against senior English pacer James Anderson. His troubles continued in the recently-concluded series earlier this year. Kapil Dev suggests the current India skipper needs to be patient with his strokeplay while facing the moving ball in English conditions.
Virat Kohli needs to be patient – Kapil Dev
While the legendary all-rounder expects Kohli to ‘excel’, he reckons Virat Kohli should wait for his moments and not “try too hard and too early” as the conditions favour the pacers in England.
“I expect him to excel. Can you really shackle him? He is a natural when it comes to adapting but I would caution him to not be over-aggressive. He will have to measure it session by session. He’ll be better off waiting for his moments of dominance,” Kapil told Mid-Day in an interview.
“He will get his runs with a bit of patience. Trying too hard and too early doesn’t work in England where you need to watch the movement of the ball. If you play seam and swing well, show patience, you will succeed in England,” he added.
India last won a Test series in England in 2007, under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid, and have lost on their next three tours since – the previous one in 2018 under Kohli.
Kapil Dev, who led the side to a series win in the Old Blighty in 1986, feels that at the moment the hosts have a slight advantage over India as they are more accustomed to the swinging and seaming conditions than Kohli’s side.
“We played exceptionally good cricket. I want this team to remember that England in England is tough. They are a very good team when playing at home but then, it will also depend on how the Indian bowlers adapt to the conditions and pitches. Swing will be very rewarding and here I feel England are one step ahead of India,” the 1983 World Cup-winning skipper opined.
