hero-image

"I am going to say he was quite unlucky"- Graeme Swann believes Virat Kohli shouldn't be blamed for his dismissal vs England

Virat Kohli looked annoyed with himself as he dragged one onto his stumps.
Virat Kohli looked annoyed with himself as he dragged one onto his stumps.

Former England off-spinner Graeme Swann reckons Virat Kohli cannot be faulted for the way he got out on Day 1 of the one-off Test against England at Edgbaston.

The 33-year-old looked solid in defence and also struck a couple of boundaries. However, the stop-start due to the rain break could have played a role in his lapse in concentration, leading to his dismissal.

Life is all about watching Virat Kohli play and then switch off the television as he gets out :) https://t.co/6Xr9MuTGyG

Trying to meet Matthew Potts' delivery with a full bat face, Kohli decided to pull out at the last moment but only chopped it onto his stumps. Speaking to Sony Sports, Swann explained why Kohli was just unlucky not to score big this time around. He said:

"I must say apart from that inside edge (after Lunch) and the ball he got out today, Kohli looked really composed out there. if you see his legs, he was trying to get outside the off-stump. I am going to say he was quite unlucky."
Two greats of Modern ERA - Virat Kohli and James Anderson. https://t.co/DHNPApXgU2

"He looked devastated when he got out" - Graeme Swann on Virat Kohli

Graeme Swann said that it's the hunger for runs that needs to be there in a batter whether he's in form or not. The way Virat Kohli reacted when he got out was enough for Swann to believe there's still enough fire in his belly to score big. Swann said:

"I don’t think he should worry too much about that. He looked composed and he was hungry for runs. And he looked devastated when he got out. I was looking at this, when a top-order batter gets out, if they just walk off, it doesn’t look right. He didn’t, he looked devastated as he wanted it today."

Swann also spoke about how the record partnership between Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja could inspire Kohli to try and score big in the second innings. He added:

"I won’t be surprised after watching Rishabh and Jadeja, he probably would want to tuck in in the second innings."

Knowing England's recent form with the bat, India will want to add as many runs as they can to their overnight score of 338-7 on Day 2.

You may also like