Press "Enter" to skip to content

Virat Kohli's 'negative' mindset costing the whole team: Mark Waugh

New Delhi: Australia great Mark Waugh has taken a strong dig at Virat Kohli, saying the Indian captain’s negative mindset is costing not just him but the whole team.

“That’s a brain fade,” Waugh told Fox Sports. “I know the ball before bounced and hit him on the thigh pad and he’s a bit worried about those two men on the leg side but that’s bread and butter for an Indian batsman (especially) a class player. You just tuck that off the hip.

“It was very un-Kohli like. He made a point of saying ‘we need to play with much more intent in this game’ but he’s been the prime example of not actually doing that.”

“He’s just thinking negatively because there’s men around the bat. He’s thinking if it bounces he might get an inside edge. As a batsman, you can’t think like that. (IND vs AUS, 2nd Test, Day 2 – Live Blog | Scorecard)

“He can hit that ball in his sleep for runs. He’s obviously thinking is a little bit negatively and that’s rubbed off on a few of his teammates. Most of them have looked very tentative at the crease today. Those (dismissed) Indian batsmen, they would be disappointed with how they got out.”

“In between those dismissals you don’t see the balls where one is sort of skidding and another is sort of standing up off the pitch. So there’s a bit of mental disintegration in between those balls.”

Meanwhile, Lyon, Kohli’s slayer in the first innings of 2nd Test, called the Indian skipper one of the best batsmen one can come across.

“Virat is one of the best batsmen that I have ever come across,” Lyon said.

“To be able to take his wicket today was exceptional, but … he’s a world-class batter, so we expect him to bounce back bigger and better.”

India have continued to struggle in the Test series, after being bundled out for 105 and 107 in the first Test in Pune where left-arm spinner Stephen O’Keefe collected 12-70 for the match.

Nathan Lyon took his career best 8-50 against India in the first innings of Bengaluru Test.

Source: Zee News