"I don't believe in that balance" – Virat Kohli on playing an extra batter

Despite India’s recent woes with the bat, Virat Kohli has dismissed the possibility of playing an extra batter as he doesn’t believe in that balance.

The Indian captain emphasized the importance of picking up 20 wickets to win a Test and therefore thinks the team needs more cushion in its bowling.

India suffered an innings defeat in the Headingley Test, with the batting unit managing 78 and 278 despite favorable conditions to bat.

India’s middle-order comprising Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant has aggregated 468 runs at an average of 23.4. In contrast, England skipper Joe Root has smashed 507 runs in the series at 127.

Virat Kohli believes that if the 6-7 batters designated with batting responsibilities fail in their job, an extra batter wouldn’t add much.

"I am not a believer in that balance [playing an extra specialist batsman]. You can either try and save it or try and win the game. We have gone on to draw matches with a similar number of batters in the team.

"If your 6-7 don’t do the job, an extra is no guarantee that he will bail you out. You need to have the ability to take 20 wickets to win a Test match," Virat Kohli told the press after the Headingley defeat.

On a brighter note, Virat Kohli brought an end to his milestone drought by scoring 55 in the second innings. Even Cheteshwar Pujara struck a fluent 91 in the Test.

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Won’t push individuals to a point where they break: Virat Kohli

Hinting at changes for the fourth Test at the Oval, Virat Kohli spoke on the importance of managing the workload of the fast bowlers, who were the major architects for India’s win at Lord’s.

Stating that it would be difficult to play four consecutive Tests in such a short timeframe, the Indian skipper said that the team management would have conversations with the bowlers and take a call.

"That’s bound to happen [rest to the pacers and managing workload]. It’s a logical and sensible thing to do. We obviously don’t want to push individuals to a point where they break.

"We will have those conversations with the individuals and access who’s where physically and take calls for the fourth Test. Not easy to play four consecutive Tests in such a short period. We will who needs how many days of recovery and see if [they can be] available for the fifth one."

India will return to London to play the fourth Test at The Oval, which starts on September 2.

Test match batting average in EnglandVirat Kohli 33.62Kane Williamson 32.90Steve Smith 59.55Babar Azam 65.75🏏

— Rob Moody (@robelinda2) August 28, 2021