Former cricketer Graeme Swann has backed Virat Kohli after the Indian cricketer was dismissed cheaply against England in the second innings of the fifth Test match on Sunday, July 3 at the Edgbaston in Birmingham. Kohli managed 20 runs from 40 deliveries, including four boundaries. In the first innings as well, he was dismissed for a low score.
Virat Kohli walked out to the crease in the seventeenth over of the innings. He looked good during his time out in the middle, however, could only play forty deliveries. In the thirtieth over, Ben Stokes bowled a brilliant delivery to get rid of the former Indian skipper. He was caught by Joe Root in the slips cordon after the length ball kicked off and took the outside edge.
Graeme Swann believes it was an unplayable delivery to dismiss Virat Kohli. He backed the Indian cricketer, terming the Indian commentators as “quite harsh” on Kohli. Speaking on Sony Sports, Graeme Swann said,
“You can say what you want, I don’t care, who is batting in any period of Test history if you can survive that delivery you are very, very lucky. That is unplayable. It’s a lucky catch in the end. Regardless, if you are looking to get on the front foot, a back foot that ball is a ripsnorter. For an English point of view, I often find that whenever Indian commentators talk about Virat, I always think ‘wow they are quite harsh on him’. The standards are so high for Virat, I thought he was very at ease today.”
An absolute jaffa!! 😍
Rooty's reactions 😅
Scorecard/Clips: https://t.co/jKoipF4U01
🏴 #ENGvIND 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/IzNH1r5V1g
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 3, 2022
Virat Kohli looked in fine touch, far more comfortable than in the past: Saba Karim
Former India cricketer Saba Karim also echoed Graeme Smith’s thoughts about Virat Kohli’s knock in the second innings. He expressed that the Indian batter looked in fine touch. Saba Karim added that Kohli’s tendency to play on the front foot was very visible. He said,
“He (Virat Kohli) looked in fine touch today, far more comfortable than what we have seen him in recent past. But I felt there was a certain proclivity in his decision to play off the front foot all the time. When you push yourself to get onto the front foot, there might be an oddball with extra bounce that can get you out.”
Virat Kohli scored a total of 31 runs in the fifth Test match against England. In the series, he averages 27.66 in five matches, scoring 249 runs, including a couple of fifties.
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