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With the five-match Test series between India and England fast approaching, former England spinner Monty Panesar has put forward a unique strategy for the English team: to engage in sledging against India’s star batter Virat Kohli. The Ben Stokes-led English team is aiming to rewrite history in India, their last Test series victory on Indian soil having been in 2012. Facing the challenges of spin-friendly pitches and a formidable opponent in Kohli, England is looking for every possible edge.
While many past cricketers have recommended not provoking Kohli, Panesar believes that playing mind games could be beneficial for England.
"Play with his ego and get psychologically stuck into him. They should also say things to him like, you guys are chokers when it comes to the final. They should sledge him on those lines because Stokes has won the ODI and T20 WC and Kohli has not and that is going to mentally pinch him," Panesar told India.com.
Kohli's impressive record against England, where he has amassed 1991 runs in 28 matches and is nearing the 2000-run mark, includes five centuries and a double hundred, with an average of 42.36. At home against England, his record is even more daunting, with 1015 runs in 13 matches at an average of 56.38.
Panesar has also made a bold prediction regarding the veteran English pacer James Anderson’s potential success against Kohli in the series. However, the stats suggest a different story; Anderson has only dismissed Kohli once in 10 Tests in India. Moreover, Kohli has scored a total of 305 runs against Anderson, the most any player has scored against him in Test cricket.
"I think it will be James Anderson and I think it will be the reverse-swing that would get Kohli," Pansedar added.
The series opener in Hyderabad on January 25 is much anticipated, with England striving to break their decade-long series win drought in India. Anderson's experience and skill will be key to England's hopes, but Kohli's formidable record against him presents a significant challenge. Panesar's advice to engage in psychological warfare adds an intriguing dimension to what promises to be an exciting and closely contested series. This series not only tests England's ability to adapt to Indian conditions but also challenges them to find innovative strategies to contain one of cricket's modern greats.
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