Virat Kohli returned to India's ODI team for the second match against England as the side suffered a debilitating 100-run loss to their opponent in what was revenge for India's massive 10-wicket thrashing in the first ODI. Chasing 246 was no easy feat for India, but with the loss of the openers early in the match, it was the perfect platform for Kohli to work his way back to form. But the star failed o capitalise on the opportunity yet again.
The right-handed batter failed to get among the runs in the second ODI after scoring just 16 for India. It was a silly way to lose his wicket after the former India captain tried to play a delivery bowled pacer David Willey that was outside the off-stump as the ball nicked and went straight to the wicketkeeper-batter and captain Jos Buttler.
But despite his bad form and multiple critics, many have joined in support of the once-feared limited-overs star. Joining him was Buttler himself, who said that the former India skipper has scored so many runs, and he does not understand why would someone question that.
"I suppose in a little way it's quite refreshing for the rest of us that he (Kohli) is human and he can have a couple of low scores as well, but look he has been one of the best players, if not the best player in ODI cricket in the world. So, he's been a fantastic player for so many years, and all batters, it just proves, go through runs of form where they don't perform as well as they can do sometimes," Buttler said during the post-match press conference.
"But certainly, as an opposition captain, you know a player of that class is always due, so you're hoping that it doesn't come against us. Yeah, incredibly surprised, as I said, his record speaks for himself. The matches he's won for India and yeah, why would you question that," he added.
Kohli's last international century come back in 2019 and after that, the three-figure mark eluded him. The batter failed to perform in the Edgbaston Test and then the T20Is against England.
Meanwhile, he will not be a part of India's squad for the upcoming ODI and T20I series against the West Indies, beginning July 22.
To recap the match, England set India a target of 247, and the visitors lost skipper Rohit early in the innings. Topley troubled Rohit with swing and got him out for a 10-ball duck in the third over. Shikhar Dhawan struggled to rotate the strike and became Topley's second victim in his first spell.
The English bowler finished with a record-breaking 6/24 as England thrashed India by 100 runs to level the three-game series, with Topley surpassing Paul Collingwood's previous England best of 6/31 against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2005.
England and India now head to Manchester for the final game of the ODI series on Sunday, July 17.
