'He's still bubbling under' - David Lloyd feels Virat Kohli is yet to express himself freely against England

The century-drought of India’s skipper Virat Kohli continued as he was dismissed at 44 by Moeen Ali during the fourth Test at the Oval. The captain seemed to be a bit disappointed by himself after he edged Ali straight to Overton at slips. The former England cricketer and well-known commentator David Lloyd has opened up on Kohli’s performance in the ongoing Test series.

Ahead of the start of the series, the entire cricketing fraternity and fans had pinned their hopes on Kohli to deliver big innings in England. He seemed to be getting back in rhythm with back-to-back fifties in two innings. But Kohli has been unable to convert his start into big scores. Lloyd feels that the hosts have had wonderful plans against him which have enabled them to restrict his run-scoring. He also put forward the thought that the Indian skipper is yet to express himself in the series.

“Virat Kohli is still bubbling under! His is such a golden wicket and even though he’s got his 30s, 40s, and 50s, he can’t kick on. England has had wonderful plans for him. The captain hasn’t expressed himself yet in this series. He’s got one more chance at Old Trafford — I wouldn’t bet against a big inning there,” Lloyd was quoted as saying to Daily Mail.

Rishabh Pant, Shardul Thakur were playing with controlled aggression: David Lloyd

India posted a target of 368 for the hosts to chase on the final day. England was 77 for no loss at stumps on Day 4. The final day of the fourth Test match is expected to be yet another enthralling contest, with England requiring 291 runs and India 10 wickets to win the match.

According to Lloyd, Shardul Thakur and Rishabh Pant put India in a dominating position. The duo stitched in a partnership of 100 runs for the seventh wicket. Lloyd further added that someone needs to stand up for the hosts on Day Five to be the architect of their victory.

“England hit a brick wall in the afternoon session. They got themselves in a jam. Nothing much was happening and Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur were playing with controlled aggression. The pair of them got India into a fantastic position and left England with everything to do. But they’ve got plenty of time to do it. Someone has to stand up today,” Lloyd said.