'That is where I missed Virat Kohli': Aakash Chopra lauds Indian captain as NZ get skittled out for 62
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Former India cricketer and popular commentator Aakash Chopra lauded Indian captain Virat Kohli as the hosts skittled out the Kiwis for a paltry 62 in their first innings of the ongoing Mumbai Test.
Despite Ajaz Patel's historic ten-wicket haul on Day 2 of the ongoing second Test between India and New Zealand in Mumbai, the hosts dominated the proceedings. India posted a strong total of 325 runs on the board in their first innings before bundling out the Kiwis for a paltry 62 to gain control in the game.
It was an exceptional effort from the Indian bowling attack as R Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj combined to rip through New Zealand batting line-up picking up seven wickets between them. While Siraj ran through the top-order, Ashwin wreaked havoc on New Zealand's lower-middle order.
Siraj bowled a sensational spell for India to get the hosts off to a great start. He drew the first blood by removing opener Will Young before dismissing Tom Latham in quick succession. He then followed it up with the wicket of Ross Taylor to finish with excellent figures of 3/19 in his four overs.
It was a stellar display of fast bowling from Siraj as well as shrewd captaincy from Virat Kohli, who used the pacer well and plotted Latham's dismissal with a short ball. Former India cricketer and popular commentator Aakash Chopra heaped praise on Siraj for his brilliant spell and also credited Kohli for his captaincy.
Chopra said the way Siraj set up Latham was the reason why he had missed Kohli in the first Test against New Zealand where Ajinkya Rahane had led the side in the regular skipper's absence.
"That is where I missed Virat Kohli, the captain. Mohammed Siraj set Tom Latham up brilliantly, and it’s not only the wicket of the bowler. Kohli played a role in it,” said Chopra on Star Sports.
"In the last Test, we didn’t see a single bouncer against Tom Latham. With Siraj, you can expect short-pitched bowls more often than not. So he bowled short and they had the leg-side trap ready for Latham. It was a good wicket and wonderful captaincy," he added.
Kohli had missed the series-opener against New Zealand due to workload management as he was rested after India's T20 World Cup 2021 campaign. Kohli had also missed the three-match T20I series against the Black Caps.