Former skipper Kapil Dev has offered words of wisdom to the current Indian captain Virat Kohli ahead of the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand and the five-match Test series against England.
The legendary all-rounder feels that Kohli should be patient in English conditions and not fall into the temptation of scoring quickly.
"I expect him to excel. Can you really shackle him? He is a natural when it comes to adapting but I would caution him to not be over-aggressive. He will have to measure it session by session. He'll be better off waiting for his moments of dominance," Kapil Dev told Mid-Day.
Kohli will be touring the United Kingdom (UK) for the third time in his Test career. After failing to impress on his first visit, the 32-year-old silenced his critics on his next tour to England by slamming 593 runs in five Tests, including two centuries.
"He will get his runs with a bit of patience. Trying too hard and too early doesn’t work in England where you need to watch the movement of the ball. If you play seam and swing well, show patience, you will succeed in England,” the World Cup-winning captain added.
India have lost their previous three Test series in England having last tasted success in 2007 under the leadership of Rahul Dravid. Kapil Dev’s men too succeeded on the 1986 tour by winning the series 2-0.
Before the upcoming five-match Test series against England, which will begin from August, India will travel to Southampton to take on New Zealand in the WTC final on June 18.
Featured photo: AFP / Indranil Mukherjee
