'He is not sure whether to play or leave'

Hussain on Kohli's struggles...

LONDON: Former England captain Nasser Hussain said that Indian captain Virat Kohli has been unsure about playing or leaving deliveries. He also highlighted the backfoot positioning of Kohli which has been the area of concern.

Kohli has scored 124 runs in just five innings at an average of 24.80. His highest score of the ongoing Test series was 55 in the second innings of the Headingley Test, which India lost by an innings and 76 runs. It has been 51 innings without a three-figure score for Kohli in international cricket since November 2019.

"India do have a lot of strength of character and fight, and central to that is their captain, even though Kohli has looked more like the 2014 version rather than the one who conquered English conditions and England's attack in 2018," wrote Hussain in his column for the Daily Mail on Monday.

Hussain again stressed upon the position of back foot causing Kohli's downfall in the series. "Kohli has played at balls he could be leaving, he seems to have that slight technical issue I highlighted in these pages with the positioning of his back foot and he is not picking up the line of Anderson and Robinson."

He mentioned that it has become a pattern with Kohli falling in a predictable fashion. "He did go through a spell on the third day, admittedly against an older ball, where he was leaving it well. But it's harder to leave the new ball because it swings later, and he was out again on Saturday in a familiar manner," observed Hussain.

The 53-year-old signed off by saying that it will not be easy for Kohli in the last two Test matches. "Kohli is not sure whether to play or leave and whether to set himself for the inswinger or not. He doesn't know what to do. It's high class bowling and it's not going to get any easier for him." IANS

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