Doubts regarding Virat Kohli’s susceptibility to England conditions were cleared once and for all when the Indian skipper returned the highest scorer of the five-match Test series back in 2018 with 593 runs to his name. The same would be expected of him this time around, in fact more give India conceded the series 4-1 as other batsmen failed to match half of his effort.
However, past success or failure — as we saw back in 2014 — will mean nothing in the upcoming five-match series in July-August, feels former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan, who believes Kohli will still be in doubt facing English pacer James Anderson.
“You ask Virat Kohli, he will never worry about Mitchell Johnson bowling fast because he knows he can come in line, but he will always have doubts about James Anderson. No batsman in the world is comfortable when the ball is moving. The corridor of uncertainty, remember? It will remain open forever,” Pathan wrote in his column for the Playfield Magazine.
Pathan, who was revered for a his ball swining abiliities during his playing days, stressed that pace is no longer a fear factor for batsmen, and moving the ball in the air will always come handy.
“We have seen Rishabh Pant and Jos Buttler playing lap shots and reverse sweeps to Pat Cummins and Jofra Archer. Speed alone cannot guarantee success, because batsmen no longer fear pace. The equipment is so good and bats have become better, one touch and it’s out of the ground feeding off the pace of the ball. You need skill to survive and trust me, swing is a great skill,” Pathan wrote.
