ENG vs IND | Virat Kohli will have to answer for his tactics at Headingley, reckons Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan questions Kohli's tactics at Headingley
|Michael Vaughan slammed Virat Kohli for his poor tactics on Day 2 of the third Test as he chose Ishant Sharma to open the bowling against England. The former England skipper added that Team India lacks adaptability and they are not willing to change their technique according to the conditions.
Indian bowlers toiled hard to pick eight wickets on the second day of the third Test at Headingley. But it didn't stop the hosts from piling up a lead of 345 runs at the end of the second day. Virat Kohli’s tactics on day two were questioned widely as the skipper started off with Ishant Sharma, who lacked rhythm throughout the first day. Former English skipper Michael Vaughan criticized Virat Kohli’s tactics and opined that India should have started with the in-form Jasprit Bumrah for the opening burst in the morning session when India needed early wickets desperately.
“You are looking at the start of the day’s play. Ishant Sharma was by far the worst Indian seamer yesterday. You start with him the next day, in an hour that you have to win, you (should) surely go to your best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah. Shami didn’t take the new ball yesterday for whatever reason. And Virat will have to answer it and he will have to answer it quite heavily,” Michael Vaughan said on the Test Match Special podcast.
He further added that India lack adaptability and the players aren't willing to change the way they go about things according to the conditions.
“The best teams in the world adapt. This Indian team are a good team, but they can’t be up there with the great teams unless they are actually willing to accept that they need to arrive and do things differently," he added.
The 46-year-old also remarked that India played poor cricket in the last two days and this isn't what people expect from a team, which played brilliantly at Lord’s.
“I think they should be careful that they don’t do things for show. For me, I saw at Lord’s, I thought it was brilliant that all their team came into the Long Room to greet that partnership (between Bumrah and Shami). I like that, in a team, I want to see that. But you can’t do things like that and arrive the week after and put in a performance like this. That doesn’t happen in real high-class cricket. That looks to me now like all histrionics and antiques, it just looks like it was for show. A team that is really together and fight in with that crunch of the situation, they don’t play like what we have seen India play in the last two days.
“What really has happened to India in the last two days? They have arrived and played in these two days like a really poor cricket team," he signed off.
