I Admire Virat Kohli For His Aggression But It Has To Be Within Limits, Says Farokh Engineer

Former Indian cricketer Farokh Engineer heaped praise over Indian skipper Virat Kohli for his captaincy against England in the second Test at Lord’s.

India won a thrilling battle against Joe Root and his team on the final day at Lord’s to lead the series 1-0.

Indian tail-enders propelled India’s score to 298/8 in third innings as England were left to chase 272 in 60 overs but they succumbed to the pressure as Indian bowlers ran riot in the hosts’ batting line-up.

I like Virat Kohli’s aggression: Farokh Engineer

Virat Kohli was displaying a lot of emotions after every England wicket fell down and Farokh Engineer said likes the skipper’s aggression but also feels it should be under control.

“I admire Virat for that. He has been an aggressive captain. It’s good. Of course, it has to be within limits. Otherwise, the umpire or the match referee can intervene,” Engineer told Sports Tak.

“Maybe sometimes, yes (should he tone down his aggression?). He gets a bit too carried away, at times. But I like his aggression. He is a very good captain. I am all for it. He is I think one of the finest batsmen in the world,” he added.

Mohammed Shami (54*) and Jasprit Bumrah (34*) combined forces together to create an unbeaten 89-run partnership despite the England bowlers tried their best to shut the duo down with words and nasty bouncers. Kohli declared the innings soon after the lunch session.

Engineer said that it was humiliating for the hosts when India had to declare the innings and credited Shami and Bumrah for scoring those important runs.

“Also, they do sledging, so that your batsman lose confidence. But Bumrah and Shami were khadoos (stubborn), they replied in their own way. They couldn’t bat very well but they knew how to survive. By surviving, they got a lot of runs and those runs were very important in enabling Virat to declare the innings. That was humiliating for England,” Engineer said.

I was the first person to start giving it back to them: Farokh Engineer

There were some heated moments between the players of both teams which started from the end of Day 3 when Jasprit Bumrah made James Anderson uncomfortable at the crease with the former bowling his lethal deliveries, something that didn’t go well in the England camp.

Engineer recalled his own playing days and explained that England players are not used to take sledging.

“Oh yes, they don’t like it because they are not used to getting it back. They are used to getting one way. We Indians were used to keeping quiet. But I was the first person to start giving it back to them. When you give it back to them, they start respecting you,” Engineer said.

India will play England in the third Test at Headingley, Leeds on August 26.

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