3 reasons why Virat Kohli is successful in England this time around
The Indian skipper left no stone turned this time around during his visit to England. He was 4 years wiser, calmer and stoic in his approach of countering the green pitches and swinging conditions provided to him by the English team.
He proved his critics wrong in his very first outing in whites in England after that horrific and mostly forgettable tour for him last time. It was a major test of character for him and he came around nicely this time by smashing a breathtaking 149 in the first innings and followed it up with a 51 in the second innings at Edgbaston.
By his own admission, he rated his 149 as second only to his 141 in the second essay at Adelaide in 2014, but the results in both the matches ended up on the wrong side for India. So, what changed this time around for him?
Well, the foremost thing was his attitude that played a very big role in him being able to conquer the tough English conditions to come out on top. Here are 3 reasons why Kohli was successful in exorcising his demons this time around.
#1 Guard change for the Indian skipper
In England, it is very important to leave as many numbers of balls as possible but it is also important to score off the bad balls. With the likes James Anderson and Co. hardly delivering half volleys, it is important to keep the scoreboard ticking.
The back and across movement of Kohli was always going to be a red flag for him, and he is the kind of batsman who likes to feel the ball on his bat. So to counter it he started taking the guard from the middle stump, which was a huge change from the leg stump guard that he preferred.
This helped him in leaving the ball that landed on the 4th and 5th stump line, but it still made him a prime candidate for LBW, for which he trusted his hand-eye coordination and wristy flicks.