Vikas Kohli, brother of former India Test captain Virat Kohli, appeared to mock the current Indian bowling attack following their underwhelming performance in the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. His comment came after India conceded a massive 669 runs in England’s first innings at Old Trafford, Manchester.
“Not long ago, we had a Test team where our bowlers used to take 20 wickets,” Vikas posted on social media, hinting at a stark contrast between the current setup and the one under Virat Kohli’s leadership.
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— Shikha (@Shikha_003) July 27, 2025
India’s Off Day
India’s bowling unit, led by Jasprit Bumrah, struggled heavily. Bumrah had a rare off-day, conceding over 100 runs in a Test innings for the first time in his career. Ravindra Jadeja, despite picking up four wickets, leaked 143 runs, and Mohammed Siraj bowled 30 overs for 140 runs. Shardul Thakur and debutant Anshul Kamboj collectively bowled 29 overs, out of the 157.1 overs India were on the field highlighting the lack of bite in the attack.
Bumrah’s ineffectiveness was magnified by the limited support from the rest of the bowling group. England built a commanding 311-run lead, exposing India’s inability to bowl teams out an issue that has persisted under current head coach Gautam Gambhir. One major criticism directed at the team management has been the preference for all-rounders over specialist bowlers. While India bounced back at Birmingham after a loss at Leeds, they lost by 22 runs at Lord’s and once again struggled in Manchester. The debut of Anshul Kamboj turned out to be an unsuccessful move as the young pacer failed to cross even 130 kph consistently, looking underprepared for the demands of Test cricket.
Under Gambhir’s guidance, first with Rohit Sharma and now with Shubman Gill leading the side, India have consistently fielded a longer batting line-up featuring multiple all-rounders often sacrificing a fifth specialist bowler. This approach stands in contrast to the strategy favored by Virat Kohli, who was known for backing a strong five-bowler attack even if it meant going in with one fewer batter.
Kohli’s Captaincy
Kohli’s aggressive and bowling-oriented captaincy paid dividends, especially overseas. India won two Test series in Australia and were dominant in England during the 2021–22 series. Kohli finished as India’s most successful Test captain with 40 wins in 68 matches. Criticism has also been directed at the team’s reluctance to include Kuldeep Yadav, a proven wicket-taker across formats. Former England captain Michael Vaughan noted that Kuldeep could have been effective in Manchester, where conditions offered more assistance to spinners compared to earlier Tests in the series.
India’s extended batting line-up hasn’t delivered the desired results either. The lower-order has repeatedly collapsed, including in the Manchester Test where the last four wickets contributed only 21 runs.