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'I looked to get him out': Dom Bess explains how his plan against Virat Kohli worked
Bess impressed in his maiden outing on Indian soil as he got the ball to dip and drift, something that worked for him while outfoxing Kohli (11), who was caught at forward short leg.
23-year-old England off-spinner Dom Bess had a productive day at the office on Day 3 of the first Test against England. Bess ended up taking four wickets in the second innings with his off spin as he outshined seasoned spinners like R Ashwin and Jack Leach with his performance at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. He also got the prized scalp of Virat Kohli while also dismissing the dangerous Rishabh Pant.
Bess earned a lot of praise for his display against India with Mark Butcher and VVS Laxman lauding his performance against Kohli and Co. And he was also pleased with how he executed his plans against Kohli.
Bess rated the wicket of India skipper as one of the best of his burgeoning career and said his team is in a "great seat" after day three of the first Test with the pitch expected to spin more.
READ | Not very often you see Virat being quiet: Laxman on how Bess got Kohli's wicket
Bess impressed in his maiden outing on Indian soil as he got the ball to dip and drift, something that worked for him while outfoxing Kohli (11), who was caught at forward short leg.
"It is certainly up there. He (Kohli) is a phenomenal and a high-calibre player. He is world-class and one of the best. It is more about the process. What I am learning and doing is getting me to where I want to be," Bess told reporters in a virtual interaction after close of play.
"I am 23 and maybe going to keep going. The journey is going to be up and down. The wicket has given me a lot of confidence. I don’t want to think about it too much in the middle of the game. We have so much to work on. We have got him out and will try to get him out next innings as well. It is a long series."
Bess ended the day with 4 for 55 including the key scalps of Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, and Cheteshwar Pujara. India ended the day at 257 for 6 in reply to England's massive 578 built on captain Joe Root's masterly 218. Bess emphasised that getting the prized wicket of Kohli was more about the process than anything else.
"Yeah, it was. Of course, I looked to get him out. But, it was not about bowling that magical ball. It was more about smashing in 10 to 15 balls in a good area. That is what I was really pleased about. I kept it in the spot and one ball went straight to Ollie Pope," he added.
The England offie, who is playing his 13th Test and took 12 wickets in the recent tour of Sri Lanka, said he was bowling really well at the moment.
"To be honest, I am bowling really well at the moment. We haven’t bowled that much in a match situation. But, I was actually really confident going out there. The most important thing is the collective effort. We have taken six wickets today.
(with PTI inputs)
