“To see the back of Virat Kohli early so many times is a real bonus” - Jofra Archer
England fast bowler Jofra Archer has admitted that the visitors are understandably thrilled to have kept India’s run-machine Virat Kohli quiet for a few games in a row.
The Indian captain was dismissed for a five-ball duck on Friday as the hosts succumbed to an eight-wicket defeat in the first T20I. Virat Kohli's no-show on Friday was his third score of zero in his last five innings in international cricket.
Kohli’s scores since the start of the second Test against England in Chennai make for a rather dismal reading - 0, 62, 27, 0 and 0. Incidentally, his latest duck marked the first time in almost 500 international innings across formats that the Indian captain got dismissed in consecutive games without troubling the scorers.
Asked about Virat Kohli's struggles against England in the ongoing series, Archer described it as a real bonus for the team, saying:
Yeah, obviously he (Virat Kohli) is a dangerous batter. And to see the back of him early so many times is a real bonus. There’s probably some doubt in their camp. So that’s something our bowlers have done well.”
Despite the comprehensive victory in the first T20I, the 25-year-old asserted that England are not getting ahead of themselves, as there are still four matches to go. Archer observed in this regard:
“It was just the first game of the series. There are still four more games to go. They are number two in the world for a reason. So I don’t think we can get ahead of ourselves as yet. But it was a good win; we enjoyed it.”
It's part of the journey of international cricket: Virat Kohli on his lean run
Speaking about his lack of runs in recent games against England, Virat Kohli said that ups and downs are a part of an international player's career. He added that his aim continues to remain positive and execute his plans. Virat Kohli was quoted as saying in this regard:
"It (poor form) is a part of the journey of international cricket. When you play for that long, you have ups and down. On your day, you will end up scoring much more, sometimes it doesn't come off. But the important thing is to stay true to your intent and plans as a batsman and accept that the bowling team can come out and execute their plans better than you. For me, it has always been about going out there and trying to be as positive as I can.”
Apart from Kohli, KL Rahul (1) and Shikhar Dhawan (4) also perished cheaply. Shreyas Iyer’s 48-ball 67 lifted India to 124 for 7. However, it was far from enough, as England romped by eight wickets.