ENG vs IND 2018: Motivation To Improve His Record In England Makes Kohli Dangerous, Says Graham Gooch

Former England captain Graham Gooch feels Virat Kohli’s urge to do well in England could prove to be dangerous for the home side in the upcoming five-match Test series. Virat Kohli will be desperate to leave his mark in England this time around after the disastrous tour four years ago.

In 2014, Kohli had arrived in England as one of the fastest rising youngsters. Not surprisingly, expectations were sky high from him. However, Kohli had failed miserably. He had scored only 134 runs from 10 innings as India lost the series 3-1. He scored 1, 8, 25, 0, 39, 28, 0, 7, 6 and 20 in the five Tests and finished the series with an average of 13.50.

However, Kohli has come a long way since that disastrous tour. He is arguably the best batsman in the world right now and has already proved himself in Australia and South Africa. During the tour of Australia in 2014-15, he had slammed four hundreds in four Tests.

The Indian captain has since also scored six double hundreds including four in successive series. Against England in the five-Test series at home, Kohli scored 655 runs and led India to a 4-0 triumph. He was also in top form in South Africa, smashing 871 runs across formats. He was the leading run-scorer in the Test and ODI series.

And Gooch feels Kohli’s extra motivation to do well in England could be dangerous for England.

“He (Kohli) is a top-ranked player in the world at the moment. I think a dangerous customer for England as he has the motivation to improve his record in this country. Every player wants to be known to be able to play well in all sorts of conditions,” Gooch told BCCI.TV.

Gooch further spoke on the never-ending comparison between Root and Kohli. He said the the duo’s ability to play match-winning knocks irrespective of circumstances sets them apart.

“Well, they are both world class players across formats of the game. They are both match-winning players. I love watching Virat Kohli and Joe Root bat. They both play all round the wicket and they are both positive, very focussed and I like to see that,” he said.

“And I think one thing that people should remember what sets them apart in the modern era. People who watch shouldn’t remember how many runs they score or what innings they played. But (they should remember) when Virat Kohli or Joe Root played an innings, that helped them win the match for their team. That’s what counts. Not the number of runs.

“It might be 50 in difficult conditions or 150 on a flat wicket. But when your performance helps your side win the match, that’s when you should be proud of,” he added.

Gooch termed India as an “improved side” that has struggled in the past but now look ready to shed the tag of “poor travellers”.

“Sometimes in the past, India have struggled when they have travelled abroad. Obviously, they have been very strong at home but they are improving all the time.

“And Virat Kohli is very determined to do well. I think he has got a point to prove, he has got a good all-round side, got some good spinners,” said Gooch.

The last two tours of England were absolutely disastrous for India. In 2011, they were whitewashed 4-0 before losing 3-1 in 2014. But with form on their side at the moment, they can fancy their chances of ending the woeful record in England.

Gooch also had a word of caution for the home team, which, according to him, has not performed consistently of late.

“As an Englishman, I would want England to win. But our form in Test cricket hasn’t been that good recently. We did very poorly in the winter in Australia, beaten 0-4, beaten by New Zealand, drew against Pakistan.

“We are not playing Test cricket as we would like to. We have some very good cricketers but they need to perform,” he said.

“India are strong side and you don’t get to No 1 rating position without playing well. So, it’s going to be a tight series. England will have a lot to play for as they are under performing,” he concluded.