File image of Virat Kohli.© BCCI/Sportzpics
Former England cricket captain Michael Atherton is one of the most respected pundits and commentators in the world. However, he made a rather interesting observation after India collapsed to 46 all out in the first Test against New Zealand. Writing on his column in The Times UK, Atherton tried to find the differences between India’s innings and England’s, when the latter were bowled out for the same score by West Indies in 1994. He also pointed out that Virat Kohli has a unique thing in his CV.
“Virat Kohli’s glittering CV now includes being a part of two of India’s three lowest-ever scores,” wrote Atherton.
“India’s 46 all out in the first Test against New Zealand came only four years after their lowest-ever score, 36 all out against Australia in Adelaide. India’s batsmen plumbed the depths again before the previous embarrassment had slipped from memory,” he wrote.
Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah are the three Indian cricketers who suffered the ignonimy of being involved in both of India’s batting collapses in recent years.
Atherton cheekily welcomed India captain Rohit Sharma to ‘his world’. When England fell to 46 all out against West Indies in 1994, Atherton was the English captain.
“Welcome to my world, Rohit. There is not that much common ground between myself and India’s swashbuckling captain, Rohit Sharma, but we both now know what it is like to captain a side that has been bowled out for 46. All the feverish adulation from a billion fans doesn’t diminish the hurt pride that follows such ignominy,” wrote Atherton.
There are some significant differences between the two innings. Atherton pointed out that England’s happened in the final innings of an away Test where they had lost the toss, but India’s in a game at home where they’d won the toss and chosen to bat first.
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