Virat Kohli and James Anderson
Head coach Ravi Shastri will just let Virat Kohli go, feels ex-England skipper Nasser Hussain who believes the prolific skipper represents "modern-day India that won't be pushed around". In the second Test between England and India at the Lord's, Kohli was involved in an on-field altercation with England paceman James Anderson.
A charged-up Kohli was also spotted having a go at Ollie Robinson when the pacer was at the crease. India eventually pulled off a 151-run sensational win amid heated exchanges between Indian and English players.
“Ravi Shastri, as a coach, will just let Kohli go. He won’t mind seeing him exchanging words with Anderson or signalling from the balcony to try to get the players off for bad light. It is the captain who is very much in charge,” Hussain wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.
“What Kohli in particular represents is modern-day India, the one that won’t be pushed around. Even though umpires might like to remind him occasionally that he doesn’t run the game,” he said.
Hussain also heaped praise on Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane, saying both the experienced players are integral to the Indian team's tactics.
“More significant, perhaps, are the senior players Kohli has beside him. Rohit Sharma was right there when he was complaining about the light, and both he and Rahane are integral to the tactics of India. Rohit might come across as a calm, slow heartbeat sort of guy but he is very driven to succeed too,” Hussain wrote.
Hopeful of gaining a 2-0 lead in the five-Test series, a buoyant Indian side will step onto the Headingley deck after 19 long years in the third match from Wednesday. The last time India played at Headingley, they won by an innings. Ahead of the third Test, Kohli refused to give any importance to the fact that his men have a chance to create history at the venue.
“I don't think about history much. For us as a team, taking better decisions wherever we play is all that matters. To keep remembering something or running after something, we don't do that. We know what our processes are and we follow that.
‘History does not guarantee you anything. If you have not won somewhere that does not mean you will not win there and if you have won somewhere that does not mean you can't lose there.
“It all depends on mindset at present moment. It looks good to hear all those things but you need to focus on the present,” Kohli said at the pre-match presser.
