Parthiv Patel feels Steve Smith, Joe Root and Kane Williamson don’t feel the same pressure as Virat Kohli
Parthiv Patel believes Steve Smith, Joe Root, and Kane Williamson don't face the same fan pressure as Virat Kohli does.
Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli (Via X)
Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter, Parthiv Patel, who has now turned into a commentator, was asked before the start of the second Test between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur about whether the likes of Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Joe Root are facing the same intensity of pressure like Indian stalwart, Virat Kohli.
Patel feels that those three are not facing the same type of pressure to what Kohli is facing as the latter has set a standard for himself and even his half centuries are considered as failure which isn’t the case for the rest of the Fab 4 members. Fans expect a century from Kohli in every match but the former Indian captain is getting older, and it is getting tougher for him to manage the expectations from everyone.
I don’t think he’s feeling that kind of pressure. And as you rightly mentioned that, I don’t think Smith or Joe Root or Williamson can even think of the type of pressure he must be feeling. The pressure of expectation, that is huge. He has set his standard so high that even if he scores 60 or 70, that comes across as a failure.
Parthiv Patel said to star sports ahead of the second Test match between India and Bangladesh
Kohli was ahead of his three peers till 2018. However, post the COVID-19 outbreak, the former Indian captain’s average dropped below 50 in Test cricket. The likes of Smith, Root and Williamson are scoring runs consistently in red-ball cricket but Kohli isn’t performing always in the format.
Virat Kohli failed to score big in the first Test match against Bangladesh in Chennai
Although India won the Test match comprehensively in Chennai, Kohli did not get going in this game and lacked the flow. He managed to score only 23 runs in the two innings in the Chennai Test. In the first innings, he chased a delivery way outside the off-stump from Hasan Mahmud and edged it back to Litton Das.
In the second innings, he was given leg-before-wicket off the bowling of Mehidy Hasan Miraz. However, the reply showed that there was an inside edge of Kohli’s bat before the ball went on to hit the stumps. However, the former Indian captain did not opt for the review and instead went back to the pavilion.
Before the first Test against Bangladesh, Kohli had not played Test cricket for close to a year. He definitely lacked the match rhythm as he skipped the five-match Test series at home against England at the start of the year due to the birth of his son. The 35-year-old will look to turn it around in the second Test.
Rohit Sarkar
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