Skipper Joe Root said that he expects Virat Kohli-led India to respond strongly to their first Test defeat and is braced for a more aggressive Indian team in the second Test. Root acknowledged awareness of Virat Kohli’s phenomenal record as a captain and batsman in home conditions.
India, who lost their first home Test in 4 years, will be eager to stage a comeback after suffering a 227-run defeat in the first Test against England. Kohli returned to lead the team after his paternity break but couldn’t carry on the winning momentum as they went down 0-1 in the four-match series at the MA Chidambaram stadium. It was the fourth successive Test defeat under Kohli and India’s first at this venue since 1999. In the seven Tests before that, he had won seven in a row, the longest such sequence for an Indian captain.
“I expect Virat to want to come out and for India to respond straight away from ball one of the Test match, whatever it is that the toss dictates. He is a proud guy with an unbelievable record in his own conditions as captain and a batter. He will want to come to the fore in this series sooner rather than later. We are very well aware of that,” Joe Root said.
“All we have got to do is keep trying to play in the same manner as we have done in the first game and the two games in Sri Lanka. Respond well to the conditions, the situation and the surface in front of us. Try and be as ruthless as we can be if we get in a position of strength within the game,” Root added.
