Ex-Pakistan skipper backs Kohli to bounce back: Getting out on 1st ball is no big deal
Virat Kohli’s thrilling battle with James Anderson went in favor of the English pacer in the first test between England and India at Trent Bridge. Having received Kohli four times in the 2014 series, Anderson plucked Kohli for a duck with the first ball with a beauty, extending the Indian skipper’s lean stretch in test cricket.
Anderson had an animated celebration in Nottingham after getting the prized scalp of Kohli but fans are hoping to see the Indian skipper among runs in the remaining four Tests.
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt also feels Kohli is a “class” player and getting out on a first-ball duck is not a big deal for the prolific run-scorer, who is currently enduring a tricky phase with the bat.
“Virat Kohli is human and every player suffers from loss of form at some point or the other in his career. Class, though, is permanent and Kohli is undoubtedly a class player. He has scored runs all over the world has 70 international hundreds,” Butt said in a video on Youtube.
“Though he has not been on top of his game in the last two years, he is still among the Top 5 in the rankings. That shows how brilliantly he has performed and what his capability is. It is about time Kohli’s form comes back in this series. It might be difficult but I feel he will make a strong comeback and play the kind of innings one relates with Kohli,” he added.
“Getting out the first ball is not a big deal. It is just a matter of time. He would not be too worried. There is always desperation among fans, who want Kohli to score runs and play match-winning knocks every time. He’s going through a bad phase but he will conquer it and the good times will be back as well,” concluded Butt.
After the rain-marred Test series opener, the action shifts to the Lord’s where both will look to notch up first win of the five-match rubber. As part of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, India and England took home four points each after drawing the first Test.
