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Virat Kohli Will Support His Team In Every Way No Matter What: Monty Panesar
Former England spinner Monty Panesar has stated that Indian skipper Virat Kohli is a guy who never forgives and will support his teammates in every way possible. England tried to bully the Indian team in the Lord’s Test but Kohli isn’t one to tolerate it, according to Panesar.
On Day 5 of the Lord’s Test, things got heated when Jasprit Bumrah walked out to join Mohammad Shami at the crease. The English bowlers decided to adopt the short-ball strategy which backfired. They lost the plot and eventually lost the game to India by a whopping 151 runs.
Speaking on the matter, Panesar reckoned it was the head coach Chris Silverwood who might have suggested the pacers to chuck a few bouncers at the tail-enders. Unfortunately for the hosts, the tactic didn’t work and India romped home quite easily in the end.
“I am sure it all came from England coach Chris Silverwood. That was his idea, let’s target India’s number 10 or 11, bouncing them really hard and rattle them. India were like, ‘okay you are after one of our guys, we all will be after you now’. India’s tactic really worked in their favor,” Panesar mentioned.
England had the visitors reeling at 209/8 with only Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj to come. If they had knocked over the last two wickets, the English could have been chasing a target under 200. However, they made a complete mess of the actual task at hand and instead got swayed by emotions.
“England thought that they would bully the Indian team. ‘Let’s bully Jasprit Bumrah, the number 11’. But they weren’t aware of what kind of character Virat Kohli is. He was observing everything and then came back hard on England. He is a guy who never forgives. He will support his team in every way no matter what. Virat can’t tolerate the bullying of his teammates.“
“England started but it backfired and all credit goes to Virat. England were intimidated by the Indian team. On Day 5, when they got Rishabh Pant out, they thought they would get Shami and Bumrah cheaply too. But everything backfired for England. You just can’t mess with India. Virat can’t take bullying. He will give it back to you strongly,” Panesar added.
“Virat Kohli is a hard taskmaster” – Monty Panesar
The former English spinner Monty Panesar had more words of praise for the Indian skipper. The kind of mentality instilled in the team is mostly due to Kohli’s hunger for winning. Adding to that, Panesar also said Team India had become ‘good travelers’.
“This Indian team plays as a unit. The incident had fired India up. It made India more determined. They have become good travelers now. Winning in Australia isn’t easy but this team has done it twice.“
“Virat Kohli is a hard taskmaster. The credit has to go to him. But I would give credit to this unit as a whole. Let’s not forget Ravi Shastri. He is doing a commendable job. He is the one who is injecting confidence in the team and youngsters,” he concluded.
The third Test between the two sides will be played at Headingley, Leeds, from August 25-29.
Also Read – England vs India 2021: Mark Wood’s Attitude Is Not Like That Of A Fast Bowler, Says Salman Butt
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