"He has set the benchmark really high" - Mohammad Kaif on Virat Kohli
Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif lavished praise on Indian skipper Virat Kohli. Speaking about Kohli's recent performances in Test cricket, Kaif suggested that the 32-year-old is not out of form, and that he will eventually start scoring the big 100s.
Addressing a media interaction arranged by Sony, Kaif talked about how Kohli has been successful in Test cricket over the years.
"He has been getting runs. The expectations with Virat Kohli are very high. Scoring a Test hundred is a tough task in any condition. People are doing it so easily, Virat Kohli is one of them. He has set the benchmark really high. He will come back, it's not that he is "out of form". He is getting set. Even against New Zealand, he made 40-odd, it's a matter of time before he scores a big one."
"Pujara is the second-best player in the Indian team after Kohli" - Mohammad Kaif
Apart from Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara has also had a bit of a difficult time in Tests since 2020 - scoring just 543 runs at an average of 25.85 with just 5 50+ scores.
However, Mohammad Kaif has also backed Pujara to come good. He talked about how fans were celebrating the Saurashtra batter during the Australia tour, and that he is the same cricketer.
"I think Pujara has seen it all in his career. Questions on not scoring enough runs, his strike-rate. But I think Pujara has done really well. I think he is currently the 2nd best player in the team after Kohli. If you see his records, his stats - he is after Kohli at the moment. Recently we were celebrating Pujara reaching 6000 runs, and he is the wall of cricket, just a few months back. I think he is the same player, just have patience he will come back."
India play England in the 2nd Test at Lord's in the Pataudi Trophy starting tomorrow. Both Kohli and Pujara will be looking to score big runs for the team.
Their past records at Lord's aren't particularly impressive, and they have the perfect opportunity to set things straight.