Virat Kohli has great technique against spinners: Sanjay Manjrekar

Indian captain Virat Kohli registered one of his best Test fifties against England on Day three of the second Test in Chennai.

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Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli registered one of his best Test fifties against England on Day three of the second Test in Chennai. Former batsman Sanjay Manjrekar praised Kohli after scoring his classy 62 in the 2nd innings of the second Test match. He went on to say that the Indian captain is one of the few modern-day batsmen who can play the pull shot against spinners on a turning pitch. This was Kohli's 25th half-century.

The rest of the Indian batsmen struggled on the third day. Kohli and with Ashwin batted with immense grit, steady resolve, and determination. The duo added a partnership of 96 runs to extend India's lead to above 400. Kohli was then dismissed after scoring 62, while Ashwin continued and scored a brilliant century.

Ravichandran Ashwin was the star of the show at his home ground in Chennai. The spinner picked up five wickets in the first innings. He followed it up with a fantastic century on what is a challenging wicket to bat on. In England's second innings, Ashwin once again scalped three wickets. This was Ashwin's third hundred while batting at number 8. He has now joined West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder and retired Pakistan wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal for most centuries at number 8 or lower. Former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori leads the list with five tons lower down the order.

Virat Kohli's innings was a batting masterclass: Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar further reckoned that Virat Kohli's innings was a batting masterclass. It was almost a lesson for batsmen around the world on how to tackle spin. His technique was praised by former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar, who pointed out how the India captain has always been an old-school batsman when it comes to playing spin. This has also allowed Virat Kohli to succeed against spinners like Jack Leach, Moeen Ali, and other part-time English bowlers. 

In India's first innings, the Indian skipper was bowled out without opening his account by off-spinner Moeen Ali. But Sanjay Manjrekar highlighted that Virat Kohli possesses exceptional hand-eye coordination which is very rare. Manjrekar further mentioned how batsmen with excellent hand-eye coordination, including R Ashwin, will perform much better on spinning tracks like Chennai. Both India and England will head to Ahmedabad for the remaining two Test matches.

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