Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said he doubts whether Virat Kohli is as mentally fresh as he was in 2018 to tackle the ever-persistent threat from England fast bowlers, especially James Anderson. Manjrekar said the India captain has an obvious weakness, unlike other great batsmen of the past and England have exploited that once again in the ongoing Test series.
Virat Kohli headed to England on the back of a lean patch in international cricket. The India captain, who has 70 hundreds against his name, was struggling to get the big scores that he had churned out day in and day out a couple of years ago. Kohli averages less than 25 in 10 Tests since 2020 and the skipper has gone without a 3-figure score in 50 innings.
After the stunning Lord’s win, India had an opportunity to pile up pressure on England as they won the toss and opted to bat in the 3rd Test at Headingley. However, India’s top-order collapsed with captain Kohli getting out for 7. He fell to his nemesis James Anderson while driving a full-length delivery.
Kohli’s form in 2021 in England has been a stark contrast to his exploits in 2018. The India captain overcame the horrors of 2014 to hit 593 runs, including 2 hundreds in 5 Tests. However, this year, Kohli has managed only 69 runs in 5 innings so far.
“It’s not that he is getting out in different ways like Ajinkya Rahane does. I am sure it’s starting to bother him.
“The reason he got those runs in 2018 was not because he was cover-driving beautifully or pulling it superbly like he was in Australia against Mitchell Johnson. It was all about leaving the ball, which was about doing something he was not accustomed to. It requires a lot of mental effort.
“I am just starting to feel that maybe the mental reserves that he has is he as fresh mentally as he was in 2018 with that big challenge of seeing James Anderson through and leaving balls after balls? He is not leaving as many balls this time,” Manjrekar added.
