Disappointing that Virat Kohli constantly questions umpires' decisions: David Lloyd
Former England cricketer David Lloyd has expressed concern over Indian captain Virat Kohli constantly questioning umpires’ decisions.
During Day 1 of the Headingley Test, Indian pacer Ishant Sharma bowled two no-balls and one wide, after which Kohli was seen having a chat with the umpires.
Writing in his column for The Daily Mail, Lloyd opined that Kohli’s actions amount to dissent. He stated:
“Virat Kohli is one of the great players, but I find it so disappointing that he constantly questions umpires' decisions. Ishant Sharma overstepped twice in his first over, then bowled an off-side wide, which was correctly called by Alex Wharf. From first slip, Kohli was clearly unhappy, and made his feelings known.”
Lloyd added:
“At the end of the over, he took it up again. It's just a wide! The umpires should have the power to penalize what in my book is dissent.”
Lloyd added that India might be regretting their decision to bat first after getting rolled over for 78 on Day 1 of the third Test. The renowned commentator explained:
“It looked straightforward: win the toss, have a bat. The pitch is a belter, and all India's problems have been in the air. The ball swung from the start, and Anderson wasn't going to miss that opportunity. When it got to 50-odd for five, I wonder if India's bowlers started to think that they should have been out there with the ball in their hands instead of England. But 78 all out? It was hard to fathom.”
England openers Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed then featured in an unbroken 120-run stand to compound India’s miseries.
Virat Kohli must practice what he preaches: Maninder Singh
The first innings of the Headingley Test saw Kohli continue his poor run with the bat. He was dismissed for 7, playing a loose drive against James Anderson outside the off stump.
According to former Indian spinner Maninder Singh, Kohli needs to put into practice his views of "keeping ego in the pocket" while batting in England.
In a virtual press conference ahead of the Headingley Test, Kohli said it was important to "keep your ego in your pocket" while batting in English conditions. Reminding Kohli of the same, Maninder told ESPN Cricinfo:
“Before the Test match, Virat Kohli had said that in these English conditions you’ve got to keep your ego in your pocket. And I think that is absolutely right. If he tries to dominate, like Virat Kohli usually does, these are not the pitches where he can bat like that. He needs to spend some time there, like he did on the previous tour where he scored almost 600 runs. Once you know the pace and know how much the ball is seaming around, they you can carry on playing your shots.”
He added:
“These are not flat Indian pitches, where you can just put your foot forward and start driving. And what Kohli preached, he will have to practice. Keep your ego in your pocket.”
Kohli has a highest score of 42 in the ongoing series against England. He hasn’t scored a Test century since November 2019.