"Virat Kohli different to "Laid Back" Rohit Sharma"- Senior Cricket Journalist takes down India captain

Debates surrounding Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s captaincy have started after England’s memorable victory against India in the first Test in Hyderabad. India lost the first Test by 28 runs after failing to chase 231 in the fourth innings. This happened despite India taking a 190-run lead in the first innings.

Rohit Sharma has led India in 12 Test matches so far winning six and losing four games. The first Test match loss was the fourth overall. Rohit was a touch below par with the bat as well scoring 24 and 39 in the first Test in the absence of Kohli.

He needed to take more responsibility with the bat. He was a touch too defensive in the second innings with his captaincy. That was another critical point in his captaincy. He allowed easy singles to be taken and had no pressure on Ollie Pope who played arguably one of the best knocks by a foreign batter in Indian conditions. His knock allowed Enngalnd to score a mammoth 420 in the second innings.

Meanwhile, former England cricketers could not hold their excitement after England defeated India in the first Test. Nasser Hussain called it “one of England’s great Test wins,” David Lloyd labeled it “as good as it gets,” and Paul Newman declared it “better than all of them” – England’s greatest away victory yet.

Newman who is a cricket correspondent for Mail Sport further went on to say that Kohli’s absence was a big factor behind India losing the match. He criticized Rohit Sharma and called him a laid-back captain while saying that India missed the energy and enthusiasm of Virat Kohli on the field.

“He’s just such a different character to the laid-back Rohit Sharma. He would have galvanized India and probably picked a fight or two with England’s batsmen” said Newman.

Hussain meanwhile, asked the England fans to enjoy their team’s recent success and not worry about the comeback of Kohli for the third Test in Rajkot.

“Let’s enjoy the four days England have just had before we worry about that,” he reminds us. Virat Kohli’s return, while exciting, doesn’t guarantee automatic success. He hasn’t played India yet, and England still has weapons like Ben Duckett and James Anderson waiting” said Hussain.

England Likely To Cash In On Virat Kohli’s Absence

Former England Cricket David Lloyd also echoed the same sentiment as Hussain saying that Kohli despite his rich form in international cricket off late will take time to settle down and thus it will not be easy. He further said that there is a chance for Harry Brook to return as well who pulled out of the series due to personal reasons.

“Virat Kohli’s batting form, despite being impressive in World Cup and South Africa, might take time to adjust to the English bowlers. England’s missing piece, Harry Brook, could also return, complicating the equation further” said Lloyd.

Virat Kohli will be absent from the second Test as well giving England a chance to peg India further back in the series by winning the second Test. In case that happens, it will be almost impossible for the hosts to make a turnaround and win the Test series. India have dropped to fifth on the WTC points table after the first Test loss.

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