Virat Kohli Fans React To Michael Vaughan's "Don't Know Of Any Captain" Claim After England's 1st Test Win
Former England captain Michael Vaughan made a big captaincy claim after Ben Stokes inspired his team to a historic Test triumph over Pakistan in Rawalpindi.
- NDTV Sports Desk
- Updated: December 06, 2022 10:48 am IST
The manner of England's triumph over Pakistan in the first Test has given cricket fans a new perspective on the game. 'Bazzball' was in full flow as England scored a plethora of runs and also made a risky declaration, with the hopes of bowling out Babar Azam & Co. on the final day. The move, however, worked towards England's advantage as they secured a 74-run win in the series opener. After the tourists' triumph, however, a tweet from former England captain Michael Vaughan has riled up Virat Kohli's fans.
In his tweet, Vaughan heaped huge praise on Stokes for the courage he showed in the match, especially with regards to the declaration decision that could've backfired.
Vaughan tweeted: "One of the GREAT test wins .. I don't know of any Captain in the history of Test cricket that would have got his team to Bat like his team did and then declare when he did .. unbelievable .. #PAKvENG."
I don't know of any Captain that would have declared when Ben did .. my thoughts https://t.co/E2br5sVF1M. @TelegraphSport #PAKvENG
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) December 5, 2022
Here's how fans reacted:
Virat Kohli did before
— Priya Virat (@PriyaViratFan) December 5, 2022
Virat kohli . Been there , done that
— Dr Swagat Satpathy (@Swagat45930686) December 5, 2022
Only one Virat by the i am not fan of him but he is the best
— Deepankur Rajdev (@DeepankurRajde1) December 5, 2022
Get ur facts right Mr Vaughan . Kohli was the most aggressive captain ever test cricket witnessed , Numero Uno for 5-6 yrs
— Ankit Moharana (@AnkitMoharana) December 5, 2022
In his column for The Telegraph, Vaughan gave an in-depth analysis of what England had done in Rawalpindi and also admitted that he wasn't surprised with the timing of Stokes' declaration.
"I can't think of another captain who would have forced a win on that pitch - especially in the first Test of a three-match series away from home. They scored 921 runs at 6.7 an over across the match. They tried anything and everything with the ball. They declared at tea on day four, setting a target they knew Pakistan would chase down if the likes of Babar Azam got going. That was the only way it was ever going to be possible to win a Test on that pitch.
"I was not that surprised by the declaration. I knew Stokes would do that sort of thing. Would I have done that? No, and I don't think any other England captain would have either. My style would have been to get the extra 30 runs, which would have dangled a bit of a carrot for Pakistan but left England thinking that the worst-case scenario was a draw. Bowl and field well and you might pinch a win, and on to Multan we go," he wrote.
England and Pakistan will next square-off in the 2nd Test of the 3-match series, starting December 09 in Multan.