“Don’t think Virat Kohli will be making too many changes for The Oval Test” - Salman Butt
Former Pakistan batter Salman Butt reckons captain Virat Kohli will not make a lot of changes to the Indian team for The Oval Test, which starts on September 2.
Team India lost the Headingley Test without putting up much of a fight, going down by an innings and 76 runs. With the win, England squared the five-match series 1-1.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Butt stated that India are likely to retain more or less the same team for the next Test. The former Pakistan skipper said:
“After hearing Virat Kohli’s press conference, I don’t think he will be making too many changes for The Oval Test. He was not speaking about individual performances and instead said that everyone in the think-tank is concerned with how the team is performing, whether winning or losing. Kohli did not single out any particular player, which is good."
"He said that the team will reflect on the improvements that are needed once the series is over. So he did not speak about any chopping and changing in the team.”
Butt went on to add that Ashwin might come in for the next match.
“Any Asian side coming to England takes time to settle down. So he must be keen on carrying on with the same players. I think at least Ashwin will play this game. As for the batting, I don’t think he is going to make any changes. Remember, Kohli also said that he doesn't believe in playing the extra batter in Test matches. According to him, if five-six cannot do the job, you cannot expect a seventh to do a lot."
India triumphed in the Lord’s by 151 runs but failed to maintain the momentum at Headingley. They were all out for 78 batting first and were staring down the barrel from that point onwards.
Not going to get any easier for Virat Kohli: Nasser Hussain
Former England captain Nasser Hussain feels that Kohli has been extremely tentative against the moving ball. According to Hussain, considering the quality of England’s pacers, life is not going to get any easier for the Indian captain.
Kohli has been dismissed caught behind in all five innings of the series so far. Writing in his column for The Daily Mail, Hussain pointed out:
“Kohli has played at balls he could be leaving, he seems to have that slight technical issue I highlighted in these pages with the positioning of his back foot and he is not picking up the line of Anderson and Robinson. Kohli is not sure whether to play or leave and whether to set himself for the inswinger or not. He doesn't know what to do. It's high class bowling and it's not going to get any easier for him.”
Kohli has scored only 124 runs in three Tests so far at an average of 24.80. In comparison, his opposite number, Joe Root, is the leading run-scorer in the series, having amassed 507 runs with three hundreds at an average of 126.75.