Ishant Sharma not 100% fit but Virat Kohli looks stubborn: Maninder Singh
Former left-arm spinner Maninder Singh believes Indian captain Virat Kohli's adamance to "prove people wrong" is making him overuse Ishant Sharma despite the pacer not being at 100%.
Singh even compared Kohli to MS Dhoni, saying the former India captain also had a tendency to be "stubborn" and repeat the same mistakes.
Ishant Sharma has been the costliest pacer so far in the third Test against England at Headingley, failing to pick up a wicket and going at just under four runs per over. Ishant began with two no-balls on the first day and has looked out of sorts since.
Pundits had, therefore, urged India to open the bowling with the more disciplined Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami on Thursday but Virat Kohli once again went with Ishant Sharma and Shami.
"It was a shocker to be honest," Maninder Singh was quoted as saying by Cricinfo. "Sometimes I have seen captains become stubborn because they know they have got friends telling them, 'this is what all experts have been talking about - you should have opened with Bumrah and Shami but you chose Ishant'.
"But sometimes the captains do get stubborn. I saw that in MS Dhoni as well - when you get criticized for something you try and prove people wrong and keep doing those wrong things, taking those wrong decisions. I am not very sure if Ishant is 100% fit because he has bowled just 11 overs and no maidens and in these conditions it's very difficult to digest."
"Should have done that in the nets" - Maninder Singh unhappy with Virat Kohli's use of Ishant Sharma
Maninder Singh also brushed aside the notion that Virat Kohli was trying to get Ishant Sharma back into his rhythm by bowling him more often. The former spinner asserted that "character building" should have been done in the nets itself and not during a crucial match.
"Steve Harmison just said Virat Kohli wants him to bowl more overs but that should have been done in the nets because that's where you build the character and bring it to the match," Maninder Singh concluded.
England have capitalized on India's limitations by piling on the runs in the first two sessions of the second day. At the time of writing, England are 301-3, with skipper Joe Root closing in on yet another century.