There are a lot of uncertainties about India’s playing XI for the rescheduled fifth Test against England. With skipper Rohit Sharma yet to recover from Covid-19 and unlikely to lead India in Edgbaston, Birmingham, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. Ahead of the historic Test, former Pakistan skipper and head coach Misbah-ul-Haq believes that Virat Kohli, who was captain in England last year, should not lead India in Test as it will lead to additional burden on the veteran batter.
“The most important thing here is Virat's form and the pressure that has been built up on him as two of your main players are missing, including the captain. Even the stand-in captain is going to be an inexperienced one. In this situation, Virat does not need extra burden as India need him as a batter. India need him to regain his form. They need him to contribute the way he has barring the last two years. At this point, it can go either way,” Misbah told Vikrant Gupta in an exclusive interview on ICA Sports Youtube channel.
The 48-year-old believes that handing the captaincy to Kohli can prove to be a double-edged sword as him scoring runs is crucial in the inexperienced Indian batting lineup. Also, he wants the selectors to give the captaincy to someone who is likely to lead in the future.
“It may provide a major boost and enhance his performance but for one game it can lead to added pressure. Also, you don't have full-strength team. You should rely on someone who you see as the next captain instead of giving it to Kohli. In the absence of Rohit and Rahul, he will be the pillar of Indian batting. If he scores, India have a chance. If he doesn't, India will suffer in the format in future. If you look at the past seven years, the main performers were Kohli and Rohit,” Misbah further explained.
Kohli's problem is not just technical
Kohli is yet to score a century across formats since November 2019. Misbah feels that there are not many technical flaws in the way Kohli bats and the problem lies in the way he has not been able to handle the pressure.
“There are two important aspects in batting - mental and technical. In mental aspect, there are a range of things. Even your technique is related to mental conditions. How your mind is working and the pressure on the batter. Batting is an automation, reaction and decision making. When you are in automation mode, everything goes fine whether it is your muscle memory, you have rhythm and clarity. You are clear in your mind without any complexity. Everything is working for you, from footwork, bat lift, hitting the ball in zone. But, when you are struggling mentally, you are thinking too much and bothered about the outside noise, the mind-body co-ordination gets affected. It does not matter how mentally strong you are,” Misbah opined.
Kohli's way to regain form
While Misbah believes that any batter can go through a rough patch, he shared how he regained his form after going through a rough patch.
“You often talk about Kohli chasing the ball outside off stump away from his body and nicking it. The technical issue is clear but there is also mental issue behind it. That he is trying to dominate. The ego and pride gets in the way and he wants to dominate. The pressure keeps on mounting. My advice is to just get out of the pressure situations. I don't know what he has done back home. What I did was I went back and played some club matches irrespective of the quality of bowling attack. It was just to build that confidence in myself. It is to get that automation back so that you start feeling comfortable,” the veteran of 75 Tests said.
Advice to Indian batters
Misbah, who has a good batting record in England, had a piece of advice for Indian batters for the upcoming Test. While he agrees that English conditions are not easy to bat in, he gave a few to-dos for the visitors.
“See, it is not that easy. You have to be prepared, wait for the ball, play late and don't go chasing after it. Especially, scoring in the cover region in England is playing with the danger. As long as you play close to the body, play straight and use cut and pull shots, you will be fine. If you play drives which is Kohli's favourite, it is not a good idea until you play yourself in. You have to play with soft hands and cash in on balls that push you on the back foot which is important,” Misbah further explained.
Dominating Leach is the key
The former Pakistan skipper also believes that India need to dominate left-arm spinner Jack Leach in order to unsettle England.
“The England team is currently showing confidence and relying on Jack Leach. He performed well in the last game as well. It will be crucial how you play him. For an Asian player, this is one area where you can put pressure on England. If he scores runs off him and cash-in, then the rotation of fast bowlers becomes difficult for England. You start to dictate terms. Playing spinners well will be crucial for India. Obviously, our players play well against the spin but if you attack them, you don't let him bowl more overs. Like England played against New Zealand. Obviously, the ball moves around and gets movement off the pitch because of the big seam and swings in opposite direction. Just let the ball come to you and when you are on the front foot try to reach the pitch of the ball. There is no need to play it with hard hands. Clarity is important in England. You cannot be doubtful even if the ball is moving around a lot. You should know your scoring areas,” he added.
He used New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell’s example as well, who ended up as the highest run-scorer in the three-Test series against England in the losing cause.
“Even the way Daryl Mitchell batted, he scored runs in front of the stumps and on the leg side. He barely tried to score towards covers and play expansive drives. In the series, batters from both sides have dominated spinners,” he concluded.
