Virat Kohli Got A Good Delivery Before He Could Get Set - Zaheer Khan

Former India pacer Zaheer Khan said Virat Kohli received a peach of a delivery from James Anderson before the Indian captain could even set his eye in.

On Day 2 of the ongoing Test in Nottingham, Anderson displayed another masterclass of skilful bowling to dismiss Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli with back to back deliveries. The seamer drew both batsmen forward with an inswinger, but then the ball seamed slightly away after pitching. Both batsmen played for the incoming ball but nicked it when it seamed away through to Jos Buttler. This was the first time since 2014 that Anderson had dismissed Kohli.

Zaheer Khan also reflected on difficulties faced by a new batsman in these conditions and highlighted the importance of set batters to continue with their innings and put on a big score. Both England and India had suffered collapses in the game; the latter’s one was however halted by rain.

“Virat Kohli got a good delivery before he could get set although it must be said the ball was a bit outside the off-stump. Virat Kohli dominated Anderson in 2018. In this series, Anderson has struck the first blow.

“It would be interesting to see how Kohli responds. The ball that Cheteshwar Pujara got was right on the stumps and there was little he could do as he had to play at the delivery,” Zaheer Khan said while speaking with Cricbuzz.

“The tone has been set and it seems like wickets are falling in a cluster in this Test, so any batsman who gets set must ensure that he bats for as long as possible. We saw in England’s innings as well that when a wicket fell, 2-3 more followed quickly. Any new batsman going in will have to focus extremely hard on preserving his wicket,” he added.

James Anderson can change the momentum of the game in one spell: Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan then went on to lavish praise on the legendary England pacer who now is just one wicket away from becoming the third-highest Test wicket-taker.

The former left-arm seamer stated that Anderson, who is ageing like fine wine at 39, is capable of changing the momentum of the match within a spell – just as he did on Day 2. After Rohit Sharma’s dismissal before lunch, Anderson struck with two big wickets in the second session, pulling things back for England. His figures currently read 13.4-7-15-2.

“James Anderson is an impact bowler who can change the momentum of the game in one spell. Even at his age, Anderson is able to produce such performances. He didn’t give away any runs either and it is because of him that England are back in the game,” Zaheer Khan said.

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