street cricketer
Test Debutant
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2015
- Runs
- 15,677
- Post of the Week
- 7
It was no doubt that he had a few problems in his technique during England. He had a wide based stance, didn't look to play at the ball with intent, had lethargic feet movement and also poked a lot outside off stump. His stint with Sachin right after the England tour prepared him both technically and mentally. Sachin's advice on playing swing bowling was very illuminating to read. He had asked Kohli to change to a more narrow stance and asked him to take a slightly different guard around the middle and off stump. More importantly he asked Kohli to charge at the fast bowlers down the pitch just like he would do against a spinner and look to play it with fullest intent without any doubts in mind. Not necessarily running down the pitch, but a simple step or two down the pitch to get into good position, to negate the swing and to cover whatever there is of it by closing the face of the bat. He has come a long way from the muddled mental condition he found himself at England, more impressive has been his discipline. Apparently before England had landed in India, Kohli had went to the camp of his childhood coach, handpicked a handful of bowlers and asked them to bowl only outside the off stump. He knew he would get a similar line from the likes of Anderson and Broad, and the interesting thing was that the only thing he ever did in that practice was to leave those balls for hours together.
The guy takes immense pride in his game and it's no wonder he has been looking to play county cricket to correct his record. Despite whatever technical issues he had, it wasn't as bad to average just 13 there. It was just one of those series where the batsman was in poor form and the bowler seized the opportunity by exploiting his weakness continuously like what happened with Amla and Hazelwood. However he has to correct his record in England. Yes most great batsmen have had a bogey country like Ponting with India, Dravid with South Africa, etc. Still these things matter when we compare the very best. Ponting's record in India is one thing that always goes against him when getting compared with Tendulkar and Lara, while Sachin's balanced record everywhere is one thing that always counts in his favour. Similarly Sanga's average record in a few countries also dimishes his stature a bit when compared to the former trio. So despite Kohli's great record all around the world, it's undeniable that he has to correct his dismal record in England. It shouldn't necessarily have to be 40+, but it also should never be <15 for a batsman of his caliber.
The guy takes immense pride in his game and it's no wonder he has been looking to play county cricket to correct his record. Despite whatever technical issues he had, it wasn't as bad to average just 13 there. It was just one of those series where the batsman was in poor form and the bowler seized the opportunity by exploiting his weakness continuously like what happened with Amla and Hazelwood. However he has to correct his record in England. Yes most great batsmen have had a bogey country like Ponting with India, Dravid with South Africa, etc. Still these things matter when we compare the very best. Ponting's record in India is one thing that always goes against him when getting compared with Tendulkar and Lara, while Sachin's balanced record everywhere is one thing that always counts in his favour. Similarly Sanga's average record in a few countries also dimishes his stature a bit when compared to the former trio. So despite Kohli's great record all around the world, it's undeniable that he has to correct his dismal record in England. It shouldn't necessarily have to be 40+, but it also should never be <15 for a batsman of his caliber.
