India vs England 2021: Not A Big Fan Of Virat Kohli’s On-Field Tactics: Nasser Hussain

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has said that he is not very fond of Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s on-field strategies and frankly added that he wasn’t a fan of the Indian captain’s tactics. As he pointed out, Kohli is prone to “follow the ball”, and is reactive to batsmen rather than taking initiative.

Virat Kohli is coming into the Chennai Test against England, the first of the four-match series, after missing the last three Tests against Australia due to the birth of his daughter. However, the match is not turning out to be a very good comeback for the Delhi-lad. England slammed 578 in the first innings after winning the toss with Joe Root making 218 in his 100^th Test.

India was then bundled for 337 with Rishabh Pant, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Washington Sundar making half-centuries. In return, England put up 178 and set India 420 runs to chase, with Ravichandran Ashwin taking 6/61. However, India’s chase has gone haywire with all the best batsmen back in the hut, thanks to James Anderson and Jack Leach.

Joe Root has been the better captain than Virat Kohli: Nasser Hussain

Writing for the Daily Mail, Nasser Hussain lauded Joe Root’s captaincy, despite the England captain getting flak for not declaring the innings, late on day 4, even as the lead surged past the 400-mark. Hussain said that Root has been exceptional thus far, but the issue has been with Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s tactics and decisions.

“In general, Root has been exceptional. It is India skipper Kohli who has been caught between two stools… I am not a massive fan of him as a tactician, because he tends to follow the ball and be a bit behind the play at times, rather than dictating it. But as he and Root know, for all the analysis of actions and decisions, it is results that you are judged on,” said Nasser Hussain.

Virat Kohli failed to get going with the bat as well, scoring 11 runs in the first innings, while looking rusty and jittery, before Dom Bess had him caught at short-leg. Meanwhile his opposite number, Joe Root returned a score of 40 in England’s second innings as well, top-scoring for the visitors once again.

Also Read: India vs England 2021: Virat Kohli Appealed Like A Maniac, Felt Immense Pressure On Day 4, Says David Lloyd