‘The captain hasn’t expressed himself yet in this series’: David Lloyd says Virat Kohli is ‘still bubbling under’
Lloyd said the duo of Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur put India in a commanding spot. However, someone has to stand for the hosts on the final day.
After having a wobbly start, India captain Virat Kohli is getting back to his rhythm slowly in the England tour. He scored back-to-back fifties in two innings and would have made it three in a row on Sunday but, he fell prey to Moeen Ali while batting on 44. With one more game left in the series, former England cricketer and renowned commentator David Lloyd believes that Kohli won’t get a big score in Manchester.
_1630913077457_1630913100114.jpg "David Lloyd speaks about Virat Kohli's form in the ongoing England tour(HT Collage)")
Kohli has batted in 7 innings so far in the ongoing tour, scoring 218 runs at an average of 31.14. He may have got two half-centuries but failed to convert them into triple figures. While speaking to Daily Mail, Lloyd was of the opinion that England team have ‘wonderful plans’ to contain the visiting captain.
“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 have 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 innings there,” Lloyd was quoted as saying.
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India set a 368-run target for England to chase on Sunday. At stumps on fourth day, the hosts posted 77 without any loss, requiring 291 runs to win, with all 10 wickets in hand. Lloyd said the duo of Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur put India in a commanding spot. However, someone has to stand for the hosts on the final day.
“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.