Ian Chappell lambasts Indian batsmen for not supporting Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli has thus far been phenomenal with the willow in India’s ongoing Test series against England. The Delhi-born batsman is currently the leading run-scorer of the series with 337 runs from five innings at an average of 67.40. Yesterday, he scored 97 runs in the first day of the third Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham after which he was picked up by leg-break bowler Adil Rashid.

More importantly, he got support from Ajinkya Rahane, who scored 81 runs. The duo put on 159 runs after India lost three quick wickets in the pre-lunch session. In the first two Tests, Kohli got no semblance of support from the other end. The remainder of the Indian batting faltered and the visiting team, comprehensively, lost both matches at Edgbaston and Lord’s respectively.

Recently, Ian Chappell, the former Australian cricketer, mentioned that England’s dominant bowling performance has mostly been attributed to the failure of India’s batting, barring Kohli. He also talked about the much-hyped battle between Kohli and James Anderson and drew its comparison with the battle between Don Bradman and Harry Larwood in the Bodyline series in 1932-33.

Currently, Kohli is fighting a lone hand

“So for Kohli to be confronted by a champion bowler in favourable conditions and score two hundred runs for the match at Edgbaston, without conceding his wicket to Anderson, was a mighty achievement.

Although Kohli was hampered by injury at Lord’s, he still resisted Anderson’s challenge but the impression was — much like Bradman in his Bodyline battle with Larwood — that the bowler’s presence had a profound effect on his eventual dismissals,” Chappell wrote in his column for Hindustan Times.

“The difference between Kohli and the three aforementioned batsmen is the supporting cast. Bradman — not that he required it — was surrounded by one of Australia’s best ever top order line-ups. Richards was the star in a glittering West Indies batting order and Tendulkar had a similar pride of place in a strong Indian line-up, ” he remarked.

“Currently, Kohli is fighting a lone hand against a suddenly rampant England attack and that allows the bowlers the luxury of expending the bulk of their energy in seeking the Indian captain’s demise,” the cricketer turned commentator added.

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