Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria on Friday (August 6) said that Indian captain Virat Kohli needs to get back to his form quickly and make big runs after their middle-order collapse on Day 2 of the ongoing first Test against England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
Kohli got a disastrous start on his England tour, as the right-hander was dismissed for a golden duck in the first innings by James Anderson and it led to a shocking collapse of the Indian middle order.
India’s middle-order comprising of the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, and Kohli could only contribute to 9 runs in total 112-4 despite getting a decent start on Thursday, August 5.
Kaneria feels India's middle-order woes are costing them greatly and Kohli – who has not scored an international century since November 2019 – needs to make a big contribution very soon on the tough tour of England, as it is just the start of their five-match Test series.
Read Also: ENG v IND 2021: Indian middle-order hasn’t fired for last two years, says Deep Dasgupta
In a video on his YouTube channel, Kaneria said: “Virat Kohli will need to get back in form quickly. If there is anyone in the middle order who can score runs consistently, then it is Virat Kohli. He needs to perform and needs to make big runs in Test cricket but is currently struggling for form.”
On Day 3, India lost Rishabh Pant for 25, but KL Rahul is still on the crease at 64* to give India hope of having a good score in the first innings against England. Pant surrendered to Ollie Robinson.
At the moment, Team India is trailing by 25 runs with Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja (8*) on the crease against England’s attack leading by Anderson (2/28) in 17 overs.
