"He has been aggressive and keen to make things happen"- Mushtaq Mohammad impressed with Virat Kohli's captaincy in the series
Former Pakistan captain Mushtaq Mohammad heaped praise on Virat Kohli's captaincy and attitude, which has arguably been one of the focal points in the ongoing series. Virat Kohli became the fourth most successful Test captain of all-time after leading India to a 151-run win at Lord's.
While he has not enjoyed a fruitful period with his bat, that has not deterred him from his aggressive approach on the field. The skipper was very vocal and highly animated on the final day that saw India bowl out England in 52 overs to secure the win.
Mushtaq Mohammad praised Kohli for his ability to motivate the side. While Mushtaq admits that Kohli can go over the top with his antics, he believes the Indian skipper is good at heart. While speaking to The Telegraph, he said:
“Virat has been aggressive and keen to make things happen. He is inspirational and can motivate the side single-handedly. That’s his way of expressing things.
“It’s not that I agree with his thinking all the time. Sometimes he does go over the top but if you know him you will understand he’s a good person at heart.”
Can't rule England out: Mushtaq Mohammad
England have been a step behind India in the ongoing Test series and most of it goes to their poor batting displays. Barring Joe Root, no batsman has looked in command. While pundits and fans are favoring India winning the series in England for the first time since 2007, Mushtaq feels that the hosts cannot be ruled out as of yet. Mushtaq added:
“Joe Root’s team has been let down by batting. The top-3 have been vulnerable along with Jos Buttler. But you can’t rule them out, they are capable of turning it around on home turf if they get enough runs.”
England are bound to make some changes to their batting unit, especially in the top order. Rory Burns potentially retained his place following a decent outing in the first innings of the second Test, but the same cannot be said for Dom Sibley.
Haseeb Hameed could be looked into as a potential opener while Ollie Pope could be slotted into playing XI as well.