Veteran cricketer Graeme Swann has recently opened up about the on-field contest between Virat Kohli and Jimmy Anderson in the upcoming five-Test series between India and England. The veteran has praised Kohli’s batting prowess during the tours of England in 2014 and 2018 as well. However, he also recalled how Anderson used to dismiss Virat Kohli and he also applauded Kohli as a batsman now capable of dominating across formats as well.
“The thing with Virat Kohli is, the last time he came here absolutely dominated the series. And again, to put the negative stand there and say ‘Oh Jimmy Anderson got his out for fun’… Jimmy Anderson ‘used to’ get him out for fun in England and it was embarrassing. Virat Kohli went away, worked on his game to an extent that he didn’t get out at all to Jimmy and he dominated in England. I am sure he’s watching the videos, remembering his techniques against that English attack and I would back Virat Kohli to score runs anywhere in the world at any time,” Swann told Sportskeeda Cricket’s YouTube channel in a recent interview.
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Virat Kohli first toured to the UK for the Test series way back in 2014 where he could score 134 runs from 10 innings with the highest score of 39. As England bowlers used his weakness outside the off-stump quite well. There James Anderson dismissed him four times, Stuart Broad and Chris Jordan dismissed him twice each as well.
Team India are currently in the UK for the upcoming series. However, they had played the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship final against New Zealand as well where they had lost. But Virat Kohli has been going through a rough patch. But, Graeme Swann said that a ‘world-class’ player like him will do well in this series. The first of the five Tests will commence on August 4 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
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“The caveat that comes with being one of the ‘Big Four’, you are expected to score a big hundred either every Test match or every other Test match. That’s by your fans, your teammates [but] it’s hard work to do that. When you think that Virat hasn’t played for six months almost and he’s been in Covid bubbles, to come out with the same expectations in a one-off Test against New Zealand… I think he still scored 70 runs in the game. He’s going to have five matches against England and a truly world-class player like Virat will be fine and he’ll come out flying in that series. He might not do that in the first Test, but by the end of the series, he’ll be one of the Big Four again,” Graeme Swann, concluded.
