File photo of Indian skipper Virat Kohli (right) and England's Ben Foakes.
Following the loss in the first Test to England, India's juggernaut is back in full swing with a big win in the second Test which re-established the fact that Virat Kohli and side are not the team you want to face at their own den.
From a classic 160-run knock from Rohit Sharma to R Ashwin's all-round show, the hosts ticked all the boxes with a complete performance while skipper Kohli gave glimpses of things to come with a prudent 62-run knock in the second innings on an ever-deteriorating surface.
And it was this very 149-ball knock, marred with seven boundaries, that caught former Pakistan batsman Ramiz Raja's imagination as he felt it glittered brighter than other performances in the Test.
“The batting was outstanding. When your opener scores above 160, you can’t really question the pitch. And the way Ashwin batted in the second innings using his common sense was superb. But the man who batted the best in the match was Virat Kohli. His footwork exemplary, concentration was very good on a difficult track. It felt like a Rolls Royce was batting in the middle,” Raja said in his YouTube channel.
He further praised the fact that the skipper was spot on with his decision making as far as choosing the playing XI is concerned.
“India went ahead of the perfect team. They did not shy away from making bold selections. Axar Patel picked up five wickets on debut, Ravichandran Ashwin scored a century, picked up wickets, the catching was brilliant from India. Overall, it was a complete performance from India. They had lost the first Test, needed to make a turnaround and they did it,” he added.
Ramiz also felt that such was the performance of the host in the second Test that he sees little discomfort coming their way for the rest of the Test series, which will be played in Ahmedabad.
“My gut feeling says, England will be battered in the rest of the series. India are now in form,” he said.
