India captain Virat Kohli might be known for scoring runs at will but he has mostly been on the wrong side of the Decision Review System (DRS) and the same has been the case in the ongoing second Test at Lord’s, owing to which the 32-year-old has faced the heat on social media following some DRS failures in the Test. Meanwhile, former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar is the latest to take a jibe at the Delhi batsman.
Unimpressed by Kohli, Gavaskar felt the decision to take reviews should rest with the wicketkeeper, who is in the best possible position to take a call.
Gavaskar also pointed out an instance when Pant told Kohli not to go for it, but the Indian skipper did not listen to the wicketkeeper. Kohli was proved wrong as replays showed that the ball was missing the leg-stump on one occasion and sailing over the bails on the next instance.
While speaking to Sony Sports Network, Gavaskar said, “I believe only the wicketkeeper should decide whether it’s worth going for a DRS, because every bowler thinks the batsman is out. Similarly, a batsman when given out LBW thinks he might be not out. The first one was a bit close, but on the second appeal, Rishabh Pant was constantly saying ‘don’t take it, don’t take it,’ but at the last second, Kohli reviewed.”
The former Indian stalwart also tried to explain what may have gone in Kohli’s head while going for it. He said, “Virat Kohli probably thought that if India can get Joe Root early, we can get the rest of the batsmen out quickly.”
Notably, England skipper Root went onto score an unbeaten 180 in the first innings of the match to help the hosts take a 27-run lead.
