Michael Vaughan questions Virat Kohli's strategy in third Test

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has questioned Virat Kohli’s tactics of starting with Ishant Sharma on Day 2 of the third Test in Headingley. At the end of Day 1, India had already conceded a lead of 42 runs and needed something extraordinary to pull things back. The best possible way was to get some early wickets. However, Virat Kohli started Day 2 with Ishant Sharma, who looked completely off-colour on Day 1. Vaughan said Virat Kohli should have started with Mohammed Shami.

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“You are looking at the start of the day’s play. Ishant Sharma was by far the worst Indian seamer yesterday. You start with him the next day, in an hour that you have to win, you (should) surely go to your best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah. Shami didn’t take the new ball yesterday for whatever reason. And Virat will have to answer it and he will have to answer it quite heavily,” Michael Vaughan said on Test Match Special podcast.

“You are looking at the start of the day’s play. Ishant Sharma was by far the worst Indian seamer yesterday. You start with him the next day, in an hour that you have to win, you (should) surely go to your best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah. Shami didn’t take the new ball yesterday for whatever reason. And Virat will have to answer it and he will have to answer it quite heavily,” Michael Vaughan said on Test Match Special podcast.

Vaughan also slammed team India for their performance in the third Test and said that there is a vast difference between Team India of the Lords Test and Team India in Leeds. “I think they should be careful that they don’t do things for show. For me, I saw at Lord’s, I thought it was brilliant that all their team came into the Long Room to greet that partnership (between Bumrah and Shami). I like that, in a team, I want to see that. But you can’t do things like that and arrive the week after and put in a performance like this. That doesn’t happen in real high-class cricket. That looks to me now like all histrionics and antiques, it just looks like it was for show. A team that is really together and fight in with that crunch of the situation, they don’t play like what we have seen India play in the last two days," Michael Vaughan stated.

Meanwhile, England were bowled out for 432 in their first innings, taking a mammoth first-inning lead of 354 runs. Virat Kohli’s men will have to show a great character if they are to make a comeback into the game. At the moment, things are looking gloomy for Team India.