India’s batting arsenal in the second ODI played like a unit. Virat Kohli, once again, exhibited his batting class and superb form. Virat Kohli believes, as he has told me numerous times lately, that when the team is winning, criticism does not make any point. “Victory,” he said, “for team India is more important than my century.” Evidently, the skipper is beyond satisfied with his form, and his team’s performance.
It is generally seen that Virat Kohli plays big shots in the last overs against spinners. Most of his shots can be seen, while advancing through the innings, along with singles and doubles. In the second ODI, he extended his innings in a similar fashion, as he knows it well that there are many stroke players on the team.
Virat defends one end and gives the batsmen a chance to score runs at the other end, but I have a suggestion for him: he should play against spinners in the same way he has been playing spinners from the beginning. If he scores freely against spinners, he’d be able to put pressure on the spinners.
England team’s rotation policy is beyond my comprehension. Manier times, they also exclude in-form players in the name of rotation. If you rotate fast bowlers to avoid fitness problems, it makes sense. But they should see which series is important. In rotation, only one fast bowler can be rested at a time. Resting batsmen is a wrong move. At least Team India’s policy is on the right track and its good results are in front of us.
If a cricketer is incessantly, for long, a part of the team and he asks for rest, he should be given a break Jonny Bairstow performed well in Sri Lanka but he was rested later. However, such moves break the player’s rhythm. Secondly, Joe Root’s absence from the English squad in the series has also gone against the visitors. Players like Root and Bairstow should be included in all the formats.
Writer is a Dronacharya Awardee and coach of Virat Kohli. Views expressed are writer’s personal.