IND vs ENG: Virat Kohli on Mohammed Siraj’a aggressive bowling- India skipper Virat Kohli on Tuesday said that pacer Mohammed Siraj will always be an ‘in your face’ kind of bowler and he will never bog down from any sort of challenge. Siraj had taken eight wickets in the second Test, and earned praise from all quarters.
The first Test ended in a draw but India staged an incredible comeback to take the second game by 151 runs at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. Both sides will now lock horns in the third Test, beginning Wednesday at Headingley, Leeds. “No, I was not surprised (with the intensity of Siraj) at all because I have seen him from close quarters. He is a guy who has always had the skill, he is a very skillful bowler. You need the confidence to back that skill, that the Australia series provided him with that boost and confidence. He is walking around knowing he can get anyone out at any stage and the belief in his game has been elevated to another level, hence you see results of what he is doing,” said Virat while replying to an ANI query during a virtual press conference.
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India and England provided an intense spectacle on day five of the second Test as players from both sides engaged in verbals and in the end, it was Kohli’s team that emerged triumphant in an engaging match. After the win in the third Test, India opening batsman KL Rahul said that if the opposition chooses to engage in verbals with his side, then they very well know how to give it back.
“Does it depend on the strength of the opposition? Even when the key players were playing, we think we can beat anyone. We do not wait for the opposition to be weak. So, I do not think that is the right question to ask a team that has been playing such good cricket over the last so many years. We do not depend on the opposition to be weak, that is not how we approach any series,” said Kohli.
“Absolutely, I said after the first Test, we were very disappointed that day five of the first Test did not happen with 150 odd runs to win with nine wickets in hand. We absolutely felt that we are going to get the result. The second Test we approached with the same intensity and with the will to win. It was very satisfying after what had transpired on day five morning. This showed that this team is not going to take a backward step when provoked. So, we play together, we play to win and we do not let anyone or the opposition take us lightly. We know and they know that we are always going to compete,” he added.
When asked whether there can be changes in the third Test, Kohli said: “We got no reason to change anything, unless people have niggles which we have not encountered since we finished the last Test. You do not want to disturb the winning combination, especially when the team achieved such an incredible win in the second Test.”
“We are quite surprised to see the pitch the way it was, honestly I did not expect it and I thought there would be more grass. Anything is possible, we name a 12 and on the day, we have a look at the pitch, accordingly, we will go in with the right combination,” he added.
Talking about the importance of the opening partnership of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma, Kohli said: “The opening combination, when you are playing overseas, that is one of the most important factors. So the way KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma have played, has been outstanding and we hope that they continue in the same manner because opening partnerships in overseas conditions is crucial. To set out the right platform from where the team can build on and that is what they provided us in both the Tests so that is definitely a big boost for us.”
IND vs ENG: Virat Kohli’s talks of Mohammed Siraj’s aggressive bowling, says, ‘he will always be in your face kind of bowler’
