WTC final: "Why blame Virat Kohli alone?" - Arun Lal defends Indian skipper's performance

Virat Kohli's performance in the World Test Championship (WTC) final came under the scanner as he failed to guide India to safety on the reserve day. However, Arun Lal defended the skipper and said Kohli shouldn't be blamed alone as the entire Indian batting unit failed to tackle the Dukes ball.

India went into the final day of the WTC with a 32-run lead and eight wickets in hand. However, the Men in Blue could only set New Zealand a target of 139, with Kohli's dismissal in the first hour of play setting the ball rolling for a Kiwi win.

The manner in which Kohli got out also grabbed some attention as he poked at a delivery wide outside the off stump. It was similar to what he did during his horror tour of England in 2014. But Arun Lal stated that it wasn't really a bad shot.

The former India international and current Bengal coach told the Telegraph:

"We can’t really say it was a bad shot. Your foot is two feet away from the ball and you still hit it for a boundary, everyone then says it’s a classy shot. But you miss a similar kind of ball and it takes the edge, people will then say, "No footwork, playing away from the body. Horrible shot". That’s not the way you should deal with it. Besides, all our batsmen looked vulnerable against the Dukes ball. Why blame Virat alone?"

📸 Photo sessions with the #WTC21 winning captain, Kane Williamson. The @BLACKCAPS star with the mace at the historic Hambledon Cricket Club. pic.twitter.com/VjKxWNKjFL

— ICC (@ICC) June 24, 2021

Kohli was dismissed in both innings by Kyle Jamieson. The Indian skipper accumulated 57 runs over the course of his two innings in Southampton.

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"Virat Kohli made a mistake, and that happens" - Arun Lal

Virat Kohli

Arun Lal, who highlighted Kyle Jamieson's terrific spell in the first hour of play on the reserve day, also talked about how Virat Kohli's first-innings dismissal played a role in him nicking the ball in the second. He explained:

"Virat made a mistake, and that happens. There’s so much pressure on him, while the ball was also moving a lot in such conditions. Prior to that, he was covering for the ball that came in as he was lbw last time. Now, if you are unlucky, you will nick it. Besides, that was a very good spell by (Kyle) Jamieson (in the second innings)."

Team India will be keen to bounce back when they lock horns with England in a five-match Test series, starting in August.

This isn’t just a team. It’s a family. We move ahead. TOGETHER 💙🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/E5ATtCGWLo

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) June 24, 2021