Virat Kohli reveals his hilarious conversation with Indian bowlers who didn’t bowl much in Ahmedabad
Virat Kohli was in a jovial mood after India trounced England by ten wickets in Ahmedabad, wrapping up the pink-ball Test in under two days. The Indian skipper shared a fascinating conversation he had with his bowlers who didn’t have much to do during the third Test.
Indian bowlers bowled just 79.2 overs during the third Test. Out of that, 67.4 overs were bowled by the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel. With the track heavily favouring the spinners, India’s fast bowlers Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah didn’t get much action.
Speaking about how he managed the other bowlers who didn’t get much of a chance to bowl, Virat Kohli admitted Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah had some interesting opinions to share.
“Well, Bumrah said that I’m getting workload management while playing the game. Ishi (Ishant Sharma) said, ‘It’s my 100th game and I’m not getting to bowl!’. I told them that you have to blame this guy (pointing towards Axar Patel). He’s just coming in and bowling in areas that are making life so much more difficult for the batters.”
Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah famously didn’t get to bowl in the second innings of the game. Playing his 100th Test, Ishant Sharma bowled just 5 overs for India. Virat Kohli opted to go with an all-out spin attack, as Ashwin and Axar spun a web around the English batsmen.
Another player who didn't have much to do was Washington Sundar. Brought into the side to lengthen the batting, the youngster was a passenger for the majority of the game. Sundar didn’t bowl at all on Day 1, before getting out for a duck in the first innings.
But everyone shared a laugh during the tail end of England’s second innings after Washington Sundar got James Anderson’s wicket with just his fourth ball of the match.
"Eventually, he was very happy that he got to bowl three balls. In the whole game, he didn’t bowl in the first innings. Poor guy, he didn’t get any with the bat as well."
Virat Kohli in awe of India’s spinners
With the Indian bowlers apart from Ashwin and Axar not getting much opportunities, Virat Kohli explained his strategy after the game. Virat Kohli admitted the game's pace didn’t allow him to make many bowling changes.
“I think the spinners were outstanding in this game. There was just no room for anyone else to do anything else. The game was just so fast and it all happened so quickly, that it was just not possible to bring anyone else into the game.”