England bowlers deserve credit for keeping 'world class' Virat Kohli quiet so far, says Joe Root

England skipper Joe Root was full of praise for his bowlers who have managed to stop Team India skipper Virat Kohli from wreaking havoc as is the case usually, during the ongoing five-match Test series. Kohli has averaged just 24.80 in the series so far with one half-century to his name. He will be looking to make amends in the remaining two matches, and replicate the heroics one is used to witnessing from a player of his calibre.

“The credit has to go to our bowlers. Virat is world class, there is no doubt about that, which is why I think the bowlers should get credit. They have been able to keep him quiet,” said Root in an interaction with the media ahead of the fourth Test which starts on Thursday as quoted by India Today.

“To keep a player like that quiet is a great effort from the bowling group and something we have to continue to do if we want to win the series. We have to keep finding ways to get him out and keep the pressure up. He is obviously a fine player who has done tremendous things in Test cricket. Hopefully, that relentlessness is something we can keep up moving forward,” he added.

Sunil Gavaskar terms Kohli’s shot selection as an area of concern

Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar believes that Kohli needs to focus on his shot selection, with a focus on leaving deliveries that can be well very avoided.

“I think it’s the shot selection. You have got to keep it simple. He has got 8000 runs, probably the last 6,500 runs he has got standing outside the crease. So I don’t think he needs to make too many changes. I think it’s just the shot selection,” said Gavaskar on Sony Sports.

“At the moment, we talk about intent. There is ‘intent’ question against Pujara. Here it seems the intent is to get runs. It means there are deliveries you’re playing when you should be leaving those. So it’s basically again a question of shot selection. You don’t have to play at those deliveries. If you leave those deliveries, it’s not going to matter. You still had a day to go and you were 140 runs behind the England team. If you have a look, these are deliveries on the 4th stump, there are no complaints. But there are deliveries at the 5th, 6th stump. These are deliveries he should not be playing,” he added.

Gavaskar believes that Kohli needs to stop reaching out for the ball, stating that even the best batsmen struggle in tough conditions like that in England.

“See how far from the body the bat is, that is what is getting him into trouble. He is reaching out. So it’s hard hands stuff that is getting into trouble. I don’t think standing outside the crease is a worry. If you play closer to your body, you play and miss it. There is no harm in playing and missing it,” he concluded.

It will be interesting to see if Team India can make a soaring comeback to win a historic Test series in England.