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Sangakkara defends misfiring Indian batting lineup

Kumar Sangakkara does not see any flaws in Kohli's leadership skills

Venerated batting icon Kumar Sangakkara has jumped to the defence of the under-performing Indian lineup. Dismissing suggestions that they rely far too much on captain Kohli, the elegant left-hander attributed the batting unit's dire performance at Lord's to lack of adequate preparation and not lack of quality.

When asked if India are too dependent on Kohli's batting, Sangakkara said, "It is almost unfair to the other batsmen because we have seen Virat batting like he has for the last few years. It is incredible to watch and he is an incredible performer, but others are also fantastic players."

The southpaw elaborated, "Pujara and Rahane are absolutely great batsmen. Pujara averages 50 in Test cricket, Rahane averages 50 overses. Then, there are others. KL Rahul looks brilliant (when in form), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik - these are no insignificant names."

Connecting India's first innings debacle to the particularly swing-friendly conditions on offer at Lord's, Sangakkara felt that losing the toss played its part too. Labelling Kohli as a 'very good captain', the former Sri Lankan skipper advised against frequent chopping and changing of playing lineups.