"I think he should bat with an open stance initially" - Wasim Akram on how Kohli should counter inswingers
Legendary Pakistan bowler Wasim Akram had a piece of advice for Virat Kohli to deal with the incoming delivery. The former India captain has often found it difficult negotiating with inswinging deliveries at times over the years.
The 55-year-old believes that Kohli should employ the use of an open stance, early on in the innings, when the ball is swinging. The open stance, makes the batter orient himself a little more to the leg-side. The angle of the legs in this stance takes the front leg away from the stumps. This avoids a possible LBW dismissal and gives more room for the bat to fully come down.
Speaking on VUSport Streaming's YouTube channel, Akram said:
"I think Kohli should bat with an open stance initially, just for the first couple of overs to negotiate the incoming delivery. With this, the inswinging delivery will not hit his pads. He can play straight with this stance. I think this is what Virat should do early on, if he feels he is struggling against the left-armers."
He added:
"If a player like Kohli survives the first couple of overs, then I do not think it would be easy to stop him."
1.1° of in-swing made Kohli play & 0.7° of out-seam found the edge. That was a perfect ball to bowl to a man who is known for wanting to feel bat on ball early on & who recently has been drawn into playing by inswing. Kohli was beaten tactically as much as technically. #ENGvIND https://t.co/dDyXH4dXbv
Kohli has succumbed to left-arm pacers like Mitchell Johnson, Trent Boult and Mohammad Amir over the years, especially in pressure situations.
"Virat and Rohit only need to see off couple of overs" - Wasim Akram
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have established themselves as modern day greats on the back of their exploits in the last decade.
Opining that the duo only needed to exercise caution in the first couple of overs, Akram said:
"Rohit and Virat are such great players, not such T20 format, look at ODI and Tests as well, their consistency and performances. In T20s, the ball swings hardly for a few overs, ao Virat and Rohit only need to see off those couple of overs."
Umesh Yadav is absolutely on fire, 2nd wicket for him and it's a big one of Virat Kohli. RCB 3 down now.
The swing has troubled Virat more often than Rohit, especially in the recent past. The former India captain was undone by an outswinger by Umesh Yadav in his previous fixture.