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'He rises to the occasion': Former England player praises Virat Kohli

Speaking about the match-up between the England team's bowlers and Kohli, he said that they have played with him enough to know where to bowl at him

Published: Wed 9 Nov 2022, 9:02 AM

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  • ANI

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Photo: AFP

Photo: AFP

Former England player turned broadcaster Jonathan Philip Agnew praised Virat Kohli for stepping up in difficult situations and relishing the job of doing it consistently, while speaking exclusively to ANI on Wednesday.

"He is a different sort of player than Yadav for instance. A bit more conventional. He is a big occasion player. He rises to the occasion. He relishes that sort of challenge. We saw him against Pakistan. That was a situation made for Kohli," said the BBC broadcaster while drawing comparisons with the playing style of Suryakumar Yadav.

Speaking about the match-up between the England bowlers and Virat, he said that they have played with him enough to know where to bowl at him.

"England know him very well. They know where to bowl at him. So, England will feel they can contain Kohli when they bowl at him. Whereas Yadav is more unpredictable. It is going to be a contest to watch out for,' said Agnew.

The former player stated that the small square boundaries of Adelaide are going to aid batters like Suryakumar Yadav who could be devastating if not controlled.

"Adelaide is a very different shape ground than the other ones. So, here you have very narrow straight boundaries and a very long straight. So, they have got players, particularly Yadav. They are going to try and make him hit straight. I think it will be an exciting contest. He goes at such an alarming rate. England do have to control him somehow," he said.

Agnew suggested that England bowlers should look to bowl off-pace deliveries to him, to make him target the bigger straight boundaries.

"They can take the pace off and try and make him hit straight and he is going to try and hit sideways. He destroyed Zimbabwe and they did not execute him very well. They bowled him a lot of full tosses. England will have similar plans, but I expect them to implement them a little better. They have a better class of bowlers," expressed Agnew.

He did not choose any favourite for the semi-final clash and said that both the teams will be playing at new venues with different conditions and what happens on the day will determine the winner.

"None at all. New game new condition, new ground. It is interesting to look at stats and data but so much depends on what happens on the day. Where the ball flies whether someone is there or not. There are a lot of 'uncontrollables'," said Agnew.

India will be locking horns with a formidable England line-up in their semi-final clash at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, November 10. Fans have been rooting for an India-Pakistan T20 World Cup final on November 13 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.

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