Glenn McGrath is convinced about batsman Virat Kohli but not much about captain Kohli

He wouldn’t have given any free lunch to Virat Kohli had he still been donning the baggy green today but former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath concedes that the Indian captain’s ability to adapt to different conditions made him a great player. The former great also picked Kohli as the winner in the first round of his rivalry with English seamer James Anderson who had got him a number of times in that forgetful tour of 2014.

Speaking in an exclusive chat with India TV, McGrath said, “I think it’s pretty obvious. Virat has got over 200 runs in the first Test. He is gone to the number one position in the world (ICC Test rankings). He had a bit of luck in the first innings where he was dropped. So, you have to make the best of the opportunities and Virat did that.

You would probably say ‘one up to Virat’ but Jimmy Anderson is a quality bowler, especially in England with the Duke ball when it’s swinging. He is just as good as anyone going around. I think he will bounce back in the rest of the series and it should be a good battle.”

McGrath was speaking on the sidelines of a fast bowlers’ camp organised by Haryana Cricket Association and Chennai-based MRF Pace Foundation of which he is the director.

Opinion on Kohli as captain only after Test series gets over

McGrath, also called the Pigeon, was however not as generous when asked whether Kohli is also the best international captain around at the moment. The former bowler, the pacer with the highest tally of wickets in Test cricket (563), said he would arrive at an opinion on that after the ongoing five-Test series gets over.

“When you are performing well, it’s pretty easy. Isn’t it? We will see how India go in the rest of the series. It’s a tough one for them in England. The English team when they perform well is a quality team, especially in their own conditions,” he added.

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