Where Was The Aggressive Approach Virat Kohli Said That Team India Will Show, Questions Ajay Jadeja

Former India batsman Ajay Jadeja slammed India captain Virat Kohli and team management for making false promises of aggression and questioned the captain’s tactics and strategies in the first ODI against England at the Motera, Ahmedabad.

England convincingly beat India by 8 wickets in the first match of the five-T20I series at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, after Indian batting imploded after being asked to bat first by Eoin Morgan, who batted first. India lost KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, and Virat Kohli for single-digit scores, with Kohli falling to Adil Rashid for a 0.

Ajay Jadeja Slams The Indian Team Management For Its Lack Of Experimentation

Ajay Jadeja was surprised at the Indian team’s approach for the first T20I and said there was no new ‘experiment’ as promised by captain Virat Kohli in the pre-match press conference.

“Leave the result aside but what new experiment did you see from India in this match? You know how Shikhar Dhawan plays. KL Rahul too has been around for so long. Sanju Samson was playing in the middle-order and in place of him Rishabh Pant came in so that was the only change. So I couldn’t understand what the experiment was,” Jadeja said in a video interview with Cricbuzz.

Jadeja further said that when Kohli talked about playing ‘aggressive cricket’ with a ‘free mind’ with players who have ‘X-factor’, he thought the team would make some telling changes in the playing XI or the batting order, but nothing was done.

“In the pre-match press conference, Virat Kohli clearly says Rohit Sharma will play and we will come with a new aggressive approach. I thought maybe Rishabh Pant will open, then Hardik Pandya and we will see a new aggressive approach,” Jadeja added.

Kohli Shouldn’t Change The Way He Bats, He Provides Solidity To The Team: Ajay Jadeja

Furthermore, Jadeja was not happy with Virat Kohli trying to go for big shots from the first ball, after he arrived in the middle in the second over. He said that Kohli shouldn’t change his batting style which has given him much success over the years.

“Why would you change the world’s most successful pattern? Which is Virat Kohli’s. If the team wants to play aggressively then he shouldn’t be the one. Virat Kohli provides solidity to the team.

He never was the most powerful striker, yes he can play aggressively but after getting set and there is a pattern. He doesn’t need to change anything. The way he has batted (in 1st T20I) is a worrying factor for me. He should send someone else if he wants quick runs,” Jadeja said.

The second T20I between India and England will be played at the Motera, Ahmedabad on March 14, 2021. England leads the five-match series 1-0.

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