ENG v IND 2021: 'Virat Kohli got a good delivery before he could get set'- Zaheer Khan

Zaheer lauded Anderson for being so impactful despite being 39 years of age.

By - 06 Aug, 2021

Team India suffered a mini-collapse after a 97 run opening stand between Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul on day two of the first Test against England at Trent Bridge.

Team India lost Rohit Sharma at the stroke of lunch to Ollie Robinson. Then 39-year old James Anderson wreaked havoc post-lunch by removing Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli in successive balls. Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane then ran himself out leaving India at 112/4. 

Speaking about Kohli's first-ball dismissal, former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan said that Kohli got a good delivery before he could get settled. He went on to say that Anderson had won the opening battle and Kohli had to respond in the second innings. 

"Virat Kohli got a good delivery before he could get set although it must be said the ball was a bit outside the off-stump. Virat Kohli dominated Anderson in 2018. In this series, Anderson has struck the first blow. It would be interesting to see how Kohli responds. The ball that Cheteshwar Pujara got was right on the stumps and there was little he could do as he had to play at the delivery,said Zaheer Khan on Cricbuzz. 

Read also: ENG v IND 2021: ‘Getting Kohli out that early was quite unusual’, says James Anderson

"The tone has been set and it seems like wickets are falling in a cluster in this Test, so any batsman who gets set must ensure that he bats for as long as possible. We saw in England’s innings as well that when a wicket fell, 2-3 more followed quickly. Any new batsman going in will have to focus extremely hard on preserving his wicket,” he added. 

Zaheer Khan hailed James Anderson for being an impactful bowler despite his age. 

"James Anderson is an impact bowler who can change the momentum of the game in one spell. Even at his age, Anderson is able to produce such performances. He didn't give away any runs either and it is because of him that England is back in the game," he concluded. 

India ended day two on 125/4, trailing by 58 runs before rain stopped the play in the second session. KL Rahul (57*) and Rishabh Pant (7*) are at the crease.

By - 06 Aug, 2021

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