England vs India 2018: Stuart Broad hints at specific bowling plan for Virat Kohli

England seamer Stuart Broad has opened up on his strategy to tackle Indian skipper Virat Kohli in the upcoming Test series. Taking cues from their successful tactics against the right-hander during the 2014 series on home soil, the veteran fast bowler hopes to veer away from his pads early on in the tussle.

"We'll look at footage from 2014 when we really limited the number of runs he (Kohli) got. He's improved a lot as a player since then and learned a lot from that series. Since then he's got runs in Australia and South Africa, and scored a lot against us in India", Broad was quoted as saying by Daily Mail.

In the summer of 2014, Kohli arrived in England with a glowing reputation. With the series ending emphatically in the hosts' favor, he could only manage 134 runs from five Tests at a miserable average of 13.40.

Four years since then, Kohli returns to the now familiar shores for a crucial Test series against a relatively struggling England outfit. Having revamped his batting technique to suit the demands of the traditional format, the Indian captain will be leading his team's fortunes in the batting department.

Unlike in and around 2014, the 29-year old batsman now has a stiller head position and looks considerably tighter around the corridor of uncertainty. In recent times, he has also curbed himself from driving loosely against the harder red-ball. Instead, his new trigger movement is aimed at working balls around the off-stump through the mid-wicket region.

Noting Kohli's strengths, Broad surmised, "You've got to stay away from his pads early which sounds ridiculous, but it is like Jonathan Trott. People said to go to his pads early, then suddenly he had hit 20 balls and he's in. I will probably lean away from him being an lbw candidate early because that gets him going, and once he gets in, his conversion-rate is fantastic."

Currently ranked number two in the Test rankings, Kohli has embarked on a rich vein of form in the longest format too. The 2016 home series against England is widely seen as the pivotal moment in his renaissance in Test cricket. With 655 runs from five matches at a monstrous average of 109.16, he played an instrumental role in propelling India to a 4-0 series triumph.

During India's previous away tour, Kohli stood tall amidst seam-friendly conditions in South Africa. Although the visitors lost the series 1-2, his consistency helped stave off a fearsome Proteas pace attack.

Drier tracks are expected in England, this time around. However, Broad and his senior new-ball partner James Anderson are poised to come hard at the Indian batsmen. It remains to be seen how skipper Kohli responds. The eagerly anticipated series will begin at Edgbaston on August 1.