Headingley: India is trailing in the Leeds Test after Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bat first on Wednesday. The Indian team, who are coming of a great win at Lord’s, could not make the most of the momentum as they were bundled out for 78 by the hosts on the opening day of the Test. After that, Joe Root and Co send India on a leather hunt on the second day and are now well and truly in charge of the game.
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam ul Haq reacted to the ongoing Test and reckoned Kohli got it wrong at the toss. The ex-Pakistani cricketer feels Kohli should have opted to bowl first after winning the toss as you have succeeded in destroying their batting at Lord’s.
“(England are) a team that you had defeated some days before. In the fourth innings, on a dry pitch, you made them absolutely flat. You destroyed their batting. If you have won the toss here, put them into bat again,” Inzamam said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel ‘The Match Winner’.
“With the advantage of two hours (of moisture), I won’t say that England would have been all out for 78, but they wouldn’t have scored big,” he added.
“The Indian batters never put any pressure (on the bowlers). As a cricketer, whatever the nature of the pitch is, whether there is swing or spin, if you have played 25-30 balls, your eyes, your eye coordination, your hand coordination, all these get accustomed to the pitch,” he said.
He spoke of Rohit Sharma being too slow while batting. “You have to take some chances after that. Like Rohit Sharma, he played 105 balls. You can’t say that you are not set after playing 105 balls. You have to take responsibility and you have to play your strokes,” Inzamam explained.
