"Virat Kohli Is One"- Ex-ENG legend claims India can replicate England's Test dominance under Virat Kohli
England has been seen playing an aggressive brand of cricket since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum took charge as captain and cocach of the test team. And on Monday, they produced yet another result in their favor, which looked impossible at one time.
They demolished Babar Azam and his men at Rawalpindi Stadium by 74 runs in the first test that offered nothing to bowlers and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Notably, this is the first win for Stokes outside England as a captain.
They continued their "bazball" approach and stayed aggressive during the entire game, not just with the bat but with the ball as well. However, Stokes took a bold decision to declare the second inning early without thinking about the loss.
Thus, the English test captain is getting praise from all around the world for his bold and aggressive tactics as a captain. Former English cricketer turned commentator David Lloyd also praised the English approach in red-ball cricket and picked one team that can replicate the same mindset in test cricket.
He stated that India, in addition to England, can play this type of test cricket and praised former Indian captain Virat Kohli. Lloyd also said that Virat is the man to lead India if they are looking to drive their team in this manner.
In his column for the Daily Mail, Lloyd wrote, "It is not totally new, of course. The Australian team of the 90s were very positive and the great West Indian sides were full of exhilarating stroke-makers. I reckon a team capable of this style now is India. They have all the tools. There has been a suspicion that Indian batters are stats driven but Virat Kohli is one who could drive this."
Under Virat, India remained No. 1 for five consecutive years. He left the captaincy in January 2022, and he might not take this job back now. But he has had the success that not many captains had during their stint. He led India between 2014 and 2022 and has won 40 games as a test captain.
Especially in SENA countries, his records are better than any Indian captain's. He led India to famous Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2018 and captained India to a 2-1 lead in England last year. However, the fifth resechdueld match ender in England's favour and series ended with 2-2.
Furthermore, Lloyd highlighted that the way England is playing right now, only India can match that intensity, and it will be Virat Kohli who can do that.