This report comes after several former India cricketers urged the star India batter to play domestic cricket in order to regain his form in Tests. Even head coach Gautam Gambhir also hinted that not only Virat but Rohit should also play domestic cricket since he also needs to drastically improve his form in the longest format.

If RCB reaches the final of the IPL which will be played on May 25, then Kohli will have roughly 14 days to play county cricket and get suitable with the English conditions before the 5-match Test series against The Three Lions commences.

Preparing for the swinging conditions in England will not be an easy task and Kohli himself knows that. The India batter has struggled in the past few Test series in England and the same would happen in the upcoming tour as well if he doesn’t take strict measures to improve his form.

Kohli had a brilliant start to the Border-Gavaskar series, slamming a century in the first Test held in Perth. However, his form dipped in the very next match and didn’t show much improvements in the remaining 3 Tests as well.

The 36-year-old will be looking to put the failures in Australia tour behind him and a stint in County Cricket can turn out to be very helpful for him in regaining his form. Spending time in English conditions would allow Kohli to sharpen his skills and also regain his confidence.

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Veteran India cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had a tour to forget as both of them gave dismal batting performances throughout the 5 Tests. However, the duo are still expected to be a part of India’s squad for the England Test series which will be played in June due to their ‘superstar’ status.

Harbhajan said that selection for the away series against England should completely be dependent on performances. He even went on to say that if players get picked just because of their reputation, then legendary cricketers like Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev can also find a place in the squad.

“There is a superstar culture which has developed. We don’t need superstars, we need performers. If the team has them (performers), it will move forward. Whoever wants to become a superstar should stay at home and play cricket there,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.

“There is a tour of England coming up. Now everyone has started talking about what will happen in England, who will go, who will not go. For me, it is a simple matter. Only players who are performing should go. You can’t keep picking players on their reputation,” Harbhajan said.

“If you do that, then you should take Kapil Dev sir and Anil bhai also. Here, the BCCI and the selectors will have to be firm and act tough. I don’t think that the superstar attitude is taking the team forward,” Harbhajan further said.

It will be interesting to see whether Rohit and Virat will still feature for the Men in Blue for the England tour or the team will undergo major changes for the important Test series against The Three Lions.

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Pope acknowledged the likelihood of low-scoring Test matches and highlighted the excitement of tough runs and challenging conditions. He emphasized the need for his team to find effective methods to combat spinning tracks.

Anticipating that pitches will be a major talking point during the series, Pope emphasized that both teams will be playing on the same surface, and his team aims to be well-equipped to handle the conditions.

Reflecting on his previous India tour three years ago, Pope admitted that the team was taken by surprise when the pitches started turning early. However, he has learned from the successes of players like Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant, emphasizing the importance of a solid defense and having multiple options to counter spinners effectively.

Pope pointed out that the danger on such pitches comes from balls that go straight rather than excessive turn. He emphasized the need for players to be at peace with being beaten, considering it a victory if they cover lbw and bowled situations.

ALSO WATCH:

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Later, physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar also delivered a positive result which created a situation of panic in the Indian dressing room as Parmar was in close contact with several Indian players like Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma. While the players tested negative during COVID-19 Test, the situation was such that the ECB and BCCI mutually decided to postpone the fifth Test in Manchester.

Several English experts alleged that BCCI didn’t want to take any risk before the IPL, the second leg of which was to be played in UAE after the series. Meanwhile, Ravi Shastri has now made a big statement about the postponed Old Trafford Test. Shastri has said that if he was in the dressing room before Old Trafford Test, not only India would have played the Test, but also won it.

“When I had Covid last year, I could have gone into the dressing room in 6-7 days. And I promise you if I had gone to the dressing room in 6-7 days, India would have played that Test match at Old Trafford and won it,” Shastri said in a press conference organised by Star Sports, the official broadcaster of Asia Cup 2022.

The Test was then rescheduled before India’s white ball tour of England in July this year at Edgbaston Cricket Ground. It was England who emerged victorious in the match and levelled the series 2-2. India skipper Rohit Sharma had to miss the Test after testing positive and ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah led in his absence.

The post ‘India Would Have Played The Postponed Manchester Test And Won It If I Was In The Dressing Room,’ Says Ravi Shastri appeared first on Cricket Country.

Kohli has been falling prey to deliveries outside off, which has been an area of concern for him throughout his career. In 2014 as well, a young Kohli was bamboozled by James Anderson with away swinging deliveries during the England tour as Kohli failed to resist poking at the ball. However, he worked on his flaws and went on to rule World Cricket for the next five years. There was no stopping Kohli and he scored runs across formats and across continents. He was threatening to shatter Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 international centuries before his career nosedived.

Several cricket experts believe that Kohli has been given enough opportunities and it’s time for him to go back to domestic cricket and work on his flaws. Recently, Kapil Dev said that if a senior player like R Ashwin can be dropped from the team, Virat Kohli can also be shown the door. However, several former and current cricketers have extended their support to Kohli. Babar Azam, Rohit Sharma, Jos Buttler, and Kevin Pietersen among others have extended support to Kohli.

Meanwhile, post Kohli’s dismissal in the second ODI, a section of Indian fans mercilessly trolled him on social media. Let’s look at some of the meanest memes on Virat Kohli’s struggle with the bat.

#INDvsEND

Today also no 71st century for #ViratKohli𓃵 😏

Viral as soon as he enters the ground: pic.twitter.com/aFQ3R6TpQm

— Shruti (@kadak_chai_) July 17, 2022

Virat kohli after scoring 3 glorious boundaries pic.twitter.com/P6XBNZZGyX

— Abhinash (@Abhi_meme) July 17, 2022

*
Virat Kohli’s bad form continues 😑#ViratKohli𓃵 #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/7ZzR4SJ0sT

— Ashu…. Rohitian (@Rohitian45a) July 17, 2022

Virat Kohli when someone ask him about 71st Century #ViratKohli𓃵 pic.twitter.com/IWNiXYQFK4

— Pulkit🇮🇳❤️ (@pulkit5Dx) July 17, 2022

The post Virat Kohli Memes: Must Read If You Have Forgotten To Laugh appeared first on Cricket Country.

India were in trouble when Reece Topley ran through the Indian top order, leaving the team reeling at 74-4. However, Pandya and Pant stitched a partnership of 133 runs to seal the deal for India.

Meanwhile, post India’s remarkable win, Virat Kohli was seen giving a champagne bottle to former coach Ravi Shastri. Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri’s friendship is world known and Shastri’s love for drinks is not hidden either thus Kohli gifting Shastri a bottle of champagne was one of the moments of the game. Shastri though did not accept Virat’s offer.

Virat Kohli offering Ravi Shastri the champagne bottle after the win. pic.twitter.com/vchQCOH8Zv

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 17, 2022

Virat has been in the spotlight due to his poor form and many experts have opined that he should be dropped from the Indian team. Kohli has been getting out to deliveries outside off and the same brought his downfall in the second ODI, leaving the fans disappointed.

Earlier, India were jolted with a massive blow when Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the match due to a niggle. However, Indian bowling was still very impressive and bowled out England for 259. Mohammed Siraj provided the team with the best possible start, dismissing Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root for ducks before Hardik Pandya ran through the England middle order. Viral contributions from Buttler, Livingstone, Ali and Overton helped England to a respectable total but they were at least 40-50 runs short of the par score.

The post Virat Kohli Gifts Ravi Shastri Champagne After India’s Remarkable Win, Pics Go Viral appeared first on Cricket Country.

Disappointed ☹️ IND VS ENG 2ND AND 3RD ODI WICKET TOOK BY TOPLEY #ViratKohli𓃵 #ViratKohli #Kohli pic.twitter.com/q0RB1mARMB

— Charantejas (@21Pa1) July 17, 2022

Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav are at the crease and the ongoing partnership has to flourish for some time if India has to make a comeback into the game. Earlier, in the game, Indian bowlers started with a bang and left England reeling at 74-4. However, vital contributions from Jos Butler (60), Moeen Ali (34) Liam Livingstone (27) and Craig Overton (32) helped England reach a respectable total.

Meanwhile, along with Kohli, Rohit Sharma has also struggled in recent times. The Indian skipper was dismissed for 17 while Shikhar Dhawan walked back for a mere one. Kohli was also dismissed for 17.

The series is tied at 1-1 and the winner in Manchester will get hold of the trophy. India have Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja in the dug out but Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant will be key for India’s chances in the decider.

The post Watch: Virat Kohli Once Again Falls To Outside The Off Delivery, Edges It To The Keeper appeared first on Cricket Country.

Hardik Pandya didn’t bowl much in the last few years but he has been a revelation since IPL 2022. In the ODI series, Hardik has bowled exceptionally well, picking up 4 wickets so far. He was brilliant in the T20I series as well and accounted for five wickets in two games at an average of 12.50. In addition, he has been batting really well. An in-form Hardik is a massive boost for team India.

Meanwhile, IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals posted a hilarious meme after Hardik Pandya dismissed Ben Stokes and Jason Roy.

Everytime Hardik Pandya comes in to bowl: pic.twitter.com/oIkFmeVTR5

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) July 17, 2022

Despite an early collapse, England have recovered well to reach 184-5 at the time of writing in 34 overs. Jos Buttler is batting on 59 while Liam Livingstone is at the other end on 14. India need to remove these players as both of them has the skills to take the game away from India. Meanwhile, England will want this partnership to flourish and post a big score in front of India.

The post Rajasthan Royals Posts Hilarious ‘Munna Bhaiya’ Meme After Hardik Pandya Dismisses Jason Roy, Ben Stokes appeared first on Cricket Country.

Before his first delivery, Virat Kohli was seen giving tips to Siraj. Kohli and Siraj share a great bond. Siraj has always credited Virat for his success in international cricket. Both players play for the same team, RCB, in IPL. Meanwhile, post the wicket of Root, Kohli and Siraj were seen celebrating in style.

Celebration of Mohammad Siraj and Virat Kohli when Siraj gets Joe Root on duck. pic.twitter.com/dqAfLV33BW

— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) July 17, 2022

Coming back to the game, England recovered from the early blows as Stokes and Roy added 54 runs for the third wicket. However, Pandya dismissed Roy to put India back on top.

Meanwhile, Bumrah was ruled out of the match due to a niggle. During the toss, Rohit revealed that the team was not keen on risking Bumrah for the game. “Bumrah has a niggle and we don’t want to risk him, so Siraj comes in,” Rohit Sharma said at the toss.

The series is tied at 1-1 and the winner of the game will win the series as well. India would want to restrict England to as low as possible. All eyes will also be on Virat Kohli who has been under fire for his poor form. Kohli fans will be hoping that he returns to form and end the England tour on a high.

The post ‘A Match Made In Heaven’: Virat Kohli’s Celebration With Siraj Post Joe Root’s Wicket Goes Viral appeared first on Cricket Country.