Former Indian batter Ambati Rayudu reckons Virat Kohli was dismissed cheaply for five runs in the first ODI against England as he was playing International cricket after a long time. Kohli last played professional cricket in May when he played for RCB in IPL 2026.
Meanwhile, Jofra Archer was able to set up Virat Kohli with all the guile. He bowled a bumper at the veteran batter and then followed it with a full delivery, which Kohli missed. The talisman was looking to play it on the leg-side between square-leg and mid-wicket, and experts in the commentary box felt it would have been better if Kohli had looked to hit the ball with a straight bat.
“It happens at times when you come to play international cricket after a long gap, or if you come to play against extra pace. Your vision is always on the length. You miss the fuller ball at times. When he plays a little cricket, he will hit this ball easily through midwicket. Just like Shubman Gill hit a four, Virat Kohli will also be seen hitting that,” Ambati Rayudu said on Star Sports.
Rayudu highlighted that Rohit Sharma could not get his shot selection right against Sam Curran, whereas Jofra Archer flummoxed Kohli with a full delivery.
“When you are playing after such a long time, this (Rohit’s) shot was probably not required because Shubman Gill was scoring runs from the other end. So Rohit could have spent more time,” the Mumbai Indians player observed.
“I felt Virat missed a straight ball because Jofra was doing a lot of back-of-the-length bowling before this. He even attempted a bouncer. So it was a full delivery which he missed,” he added.
On the other hand, former Indian wicket-keeper batsman Deep Dasgupta concurred with Rayudu, stating Rohit Sharma’s shot selection was poor.
He said, “Let’s talk about Rohit first. I think poor shot selection. Against the angle, the bat face closed slightly early. That was unfortunate. It’s not that he is not looking good. It’s not that he is not looking in form or rhythm. It’s just that one bad shot, and that cost him his wicket.”
“Going to Virat, that was a really good setup. He pulled the previous ball, and the next ball was absolutely full. These guys will be fine. I don’t think you need to overanalyze. Because we see them playing after a long time, we get a little emotional and get carried away. Just leave them alone. They know what to do,” Dasgupta observed.
The second ODI between India and England will be played at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, on Thursday.
