5 rookie mistakes that captain Virat Kohli could avoid

#4 Following the ball

Kohli has a tendency to follow the ball

Known weaknesses like Hameed’s against off-spinner coming around the wicket, Jos Buttler’s against left-arm spinners and Moeen Ali’s against short-pitched bowling weren’t exploited by Kohli so far. Kohli doesn’t straightaway go for fielding positions like forward short leg and square leg for fast, aggressive bowling.

He often chases the ball. It takes him two or three missed chances before he gets in certain fielding positions and doesn’t try variations like short cover or gully (for pace and spin) straightaway.

If a boundary has been hit towards point or towards mid-off, Kohli doesn’t let that go as a one-off. Instead, he immediately tries plugging those gaps. While it is understood that the modern skipper hates conceding runs, immediate field changes often give the batsman confidence.

Buttler got rid of three close-in fielders with just a couple of aggressive shots on the fourth day morning. Kohli’s reactionary captaincy gives away too much to the opponents, something he must avoid because stubbornly sticking to your plan despite your opponent’s efforts at putting you off, is sometimes as important as being flexible when your plan is not working.