New Delhi: A day after the heartbreaking loss against England in the third Test match at Lord’s, 1983 World Cup winner and former India all-rounder Madan Lal urged Virat Kohli to reverse his retirement from Test cricket.
Widely regarded as one of the modern greats of the game, Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket in May, bidding adieu to his 14-year career with 9230 runs in 123 matches at an impressive average of 46.85 with 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries.
He hung up his spikes as the fourth-most successful Test captain overall, behind Graeme Smith (53 wins), Ricky Ponting (48 wins), and Steve Waugh (41 wins).
“Virat Kohli’s passion for Indian cricket was unmatched. It’s my wish that he should come back to Test cricket after retirement. There’s nothing wrong with returning. If not in this series, he should make a comeback in the next,” said Madan Lal on CricketPredicta.
Kohli’s 30 Test centuries make him the fourth-most successful Indian batter, behind Sachin Tendulkar (51 hundreds), Rahul Dravid (36), and Sunil Gavaskar (34). Kohli also made seven Test double hundreds, the most ever by an Indian.
In the ongoing England Tour, India bounced back impressively in the second Test after a five-wicket defeat in the series opener at Leeds. With a composed bowling performance and improved fielding, the visitors bowled England out for 27l on the final day to seal a memorable victory with more than a session to spare.
India’s bowlers then delivered a clinical effort in the second innings to bowl England out for 192. Washington Sundar was the standout, claiming four crucial wickets to set up a manageable target for the visitors.
But England’s bowlers, led by Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes, triggered a dramatic collapse in the final session of Day 4 and the opening session of Day 5 to bowl India out for 170 in pursuit of 193, despite a valiant fightback from all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
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Caption: File Photo: Nagpur: Indian captain Virat Kohli raises his bat and helmet to celebrate his double century on Day 3 of the second test match between India and Sri Lanka at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Nov 26, 2017. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)
–IANS
