CHENNAI: After losing four Tests in a row as captain, Virat Kohli desperately needs his side to bounce back quickly from their crushing defeat by England in the opening match of the Test series.
Team changes are certain for the second match that starts in Chennai on Saturday after the 227-run mauling by Joe Root’s England that the media called “a shock” and a “rude jolt”.
While no one has criticised the captain, who got the top score of 72 in the Indian second innings of 192, there will be intense scrutiny of the way he and coach Ravi Shastri lift the team before the next of the four-match series.
Known for his aggression and demand for discipline within his side, Kohli has already vowed to come back fighting.
“We are a side that accepts our failures and faults and learns from them,” the captain said after the loss.
“One thing is for sure that in the next three matches we are going to give a tough fight and not let things slip away like it did in this Test.”
Kohli found fault with India’s batting and bowling in his post-match comments when he praised England for being “far more professional”.
The top order batting “left a lot to be desired”, he said. The bowlers gave away too many runs when England hit 578 in the first innings after Root won a crucial toss.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed six wickets to dismiss England for 178 in the second innings but received little help from left-arm orthodox Shahbaz Nadeem.
Kohli singled out slow bowlers Washington Sundar and Shahbaz for criticism.
“You need your bowling unit to step up and create pressure on the opposition,” he said.— AFP
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