According to former Indian cricketer Saba Karim, Virat Kohli ought to have turned his half-century against England in the second ODI in Cardiff into a more significant knock. He did, however, commend the batting great for returning to best in just one inning.
India was bowled out for 233 in Cardiff on Thursday, July 16, despite Kohli scoring 65 runs off 66 balls and Shreyas Iyer scoring a fifty as well. However, Joe Root’s magnificent 99* helped England achieve their target in 44.1 overs with 4 wickets in hand.
Saba admitted that it would have been challenging for Kohli to resume his run-scoring ways in the absence of competitive cricket. He did, however, believe that Kohli ought to have stayed in the middle longer.
"It's very tough for a player who is playing just one format. No matter how much you prepare, until you get match practice, it's very difficult to come and bat like this. The engine took an ODI to get warmed up. We got to see the trademark Virat Kohli shots. It was a knock like that.
He got out at the wrong time. He had scored so many runs, and he had to kick on from there to a big score, which couldn't happen. However, we got to see fantastic footwork, and he showed aggression with his drives. Virat at his best. It's great for India that Virat took only one match to show his form again," Saba Karim said on JioHotstar.
Karim also pointed out that Kohli had added more shots against spinners in his arsenal and that the star batter wasn't affected by his failure in the previous game and came prepared differently for the second ODI.
On the same show, Varun Aaron discussed how Kohli had come prepared to attack Gus Atkinson.
“Virat Kohli's game plan is excellent in every match. He knows how to bat based on the conditions. He put the pressure back on Gus Atkinson because he knew Atkinson was a bowler who could bowl well in these conditions, as he could hit the six-meter length repeatedly.
However, he didn't allow him to bowl there. It's a hallmark of every great batter that they don't allow the bowlers to bowl in their areas and instead make them bowl in the batters' area. That's Virat's specialty, and that's why he has been scoring runs for years. His game plans against the bowlers and in the conditions are excellent," Aaron observed.
Virat Kohli will next be in action when India takes on England in the third and final ODI on July 19 at Lord’s.
