'Virat will have to answer it': Michael Vaughan questions Kohli's tactics in 3rd Test against England

On Thursday, India had to take quick wickets in the first session but itself. But Vaughan questioned why Kohli gave the ball to Ishant, who has not been in his best form in the series so far, instead of Bumrah, in the first hour of play.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has questioned Virat Kohli's decision to start off the bowling attack with Ishant Sharma instead of Jasprit Bumrah on Day 2 of the third Test against England at Headingley. India were bundled out for 78 on Day 1 of the Test, and the hosts had posted 120 runs without a loss of wicket by the stumps on Wednesday.

On Thursday, India had to take quick wickets in the first session but itself. But Vaughan questioned why Kohli gave the ball to Ishant, who has not been in his best form in the series so far, instead of Bumrah, in the first hour of play. Vaughan also questioned Kohli not giving the new ball to Mohammed Shami.

“You are looking at the start of the day’s play. Ishant Sharma was by far the worst Indian seamer yesterday. You start with him the next day, in an hour that you have to win, you (should) surely go to your best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah. Shami didn’t take the new ball yesterday for whatever reason. And Virat will have to answer it and he will have to answer it quite heavily,” Michael Vaughan said on Test Match Special podcast.

“The best teams in the world adapt. This Indian team are a good team, but they can’t be up there with the great teams unless they are actually willing to accept that they need to arrive and do things differently," he added.

Vaughan further went on to criticise India's performance in the first two days of the 3rd Test, and said that they have played like a "really poor cricket team".

“I think they should be careful that they don’t do things for show. For me, I saw at Lord’s, I thought it was brilliant that all their team came into the Long Room to greet that partnership (between Bumrah and Shami). I like that, in a team, I want to see that. But you can’t do things like that and arrive the week after and put in a performance like this. That doesn’t happen in real high-class cricket. That looks to me now like all histrionics and antiques, it just looks like it was for show. A team that is really together and fight in with that crunch of the situation, they don’t play like what we have seen India play in the last two days," Michael Vaughan stated.

“What really has happened to India in the last two days? They have arrived and played in these two days like a really poor cricket team," he signed off.

India, meanwhile, got the last two England wickets quickly on Day 3 to bowl them out for 432.