Published 13:01 IST, March 3rd 2020
MSK Prasad defends 'run-machine' Virat Kohli, says 'legend' can have 'one odd series'
Former Team India chief selector MSK Prasad came to the defence of India's skipper Virat Kohli after his poor run in the Test series against New Zealand
Former Team India chief selector MSK Prasad came to the defence of India's skipper Virat Kohli after his poor run in the Test series against New Zealand and backed him to bounce back strong. India suffered a 2-0 defeat in the two-match Test series against the Kiwis with skipper Virat Kohli managing to make just 38 runs in four innings. Despite being subjected to criticism for his poor form, Virat Kohli has received support from many cricketers around the globe, who believe that the run-machine is just undergoing a rough patch and will that critics cannot slam the star for just one poor series. MSK Prasad, who was at the DY Patil Stadium to see Shikhar Dhawan, Hardik Pandya & Bhuveshwar Kumar play in the T20 tournament, spoke about Virat Kohli's form and empathized with the Indian skipper.
'He is also a human'
Speaking to a news publication, MSK Prasad defended Virat Kohli's poor form, stating that it was okay for a cricketer with the calibre of Virat Kohli to have one odd series. MSK Prasad said that Virat Kohli was a legend who was a run-machine for the country over the years and that one odd series should not be used to judge such a ' phenomenal player'. Forner Pakistan coach cum selector Inzamam-ul-Haq also lashed out at Virat Kohli's critics, asking them how they could point their fingers at just the skipper while the rest of the squad failed to rise to the occasion as well.
Inzamam-ul-Haq hits Virat Kohli's critics for a six
Talking on the latest video on his Youtube channel, Inzamam-ul-Haq said that it was wrong to blame Virat Kohli single-handedly for India's loss and questioned the form of the rest of the players. Inzamam-ul-Haq said that Virat Kohli's 'rough patch' was just a parcel of the game and that people should accept it instead of making hue and cry about it. The former Pakistan coach cum selector backed Virat Kohli's technique and said that the Indian skipper need not make any changes to his technique. Touting Virat Kohli to be a 'strong-minded' player, Inzamam-ul-Haq said that he believes Virat Kohli will make a strong comeback.
New Zealand whitewash India
India who had begun their day at 90/6 were eventually bundled out for 124 as the Indian lower-order batsmen could not hang around for too long after showing some resistance as they ended up setting a target of 132 for the Kiwis for a series win. In reply, the hosts seemed to be in a hurry to complete the formalities as openers Tom Latham (52) and Tom Blundell (55) added 103 runs for the opening wicket. India did strike back with three quick wickets as Bumrah picked two of them but it was too little too late as the victory was a foregone conclusion for Kohli & Co. by that point. In the end, Ross Taylor and Henry Nicholls completed the formalities as New Zealand registered a comfortable seven-wicket win to whitewash India in the two-match Test series.
Updated 13:01 IST, March 3rd 2020