ENG vs IND: VVS Laxman analyses Virat Kohli’s batting, reveals where it’s going wrong for him

England and India’s second Test match began at Lord’s Stadium with the visitors taking the honors on the first day by scoring 276 runs and losing just three wickets in the process. Indian skipper Virat Kohli scored a shaky 42 before he was dismissed by Ollie Robinson. Cricketer-turned-expert VVS Laxman feels Kohli is shuffling way too much in and around the off-stump.

Laxman further opined that the right-hand batter didn’t shuffle so much during the 2018 England tour. During that five-match Test series, Kohli scored 593 runs and played well in the seaming and swinging conditions in England. The Indian skipper struggled for timing while scoring the 42 runs on the decent Lord’s pitch this time around and looked uncomfortable while facing the England pacers.

Laxman observed what was went wrong for Kohli and spoke on ESPNCricinfo ‘Match Day’ about the 32-year-old’s technique, “The England bowlers bowled to very well planned and disciplined line and lengths to him. They know that the area to attack Kohli is on and around the off-stump. It is very clear that he doesn’t enjoy the ball in that region. They also tried to bring the oddball back in, which could hit Virat Kohli on the pads. There was also a barrage of bouncers when (Mark) Wood was bowling.”

VVS Laxman feels Virat Kohli is shuffling too much

The former India batter also spoke of how Kohli played confidently during the 2018 series in England, by not moving across the crease so much. In this series, he felt that Kohli is shuffling a lot, the big reason why he is struggling.

“I was watching and comparing the shuffle of Virat Kohli from 2018 to the current Test series. And I just feel that in 2018, he wasn’t moving so much as he is doing now. That is the reason he is not able to play his shots outside off-stump a lot more freely. Subconsciously, he feels that those balls are supposed to be left. I just feel the combination of disciplined bowling and good execution of plans from the English bowlers and the shuffle, which is more than what it was in 2018,” he added.

Indian opener KL Rahul’s masterclass of unbeaten 127 helped the team to take advantage of what was a good day of Test cricket between bat and ball.