Michael Vaughan calls Anderson 'naive' for comments on Virat Kohli's technique

Former England captain Michael Vaughan wasn’t quite impressed with fast bowler James Anderson’s decision to question Virat Kohli’s batting technique while interacting with the media after the third day’s play of the Mumbai Test. “For him to say Virat’s technique’s not changed and it’s just the conditions here that suit his style of play – it’s so naive.” Vaughan said.

While interacting with BCCI after the end of the fourth Test match that the hosts won by an inning and 36 runs Vaughan said, “Jimmy came out last night and showed no experience with the Indian press. You know what you’re getting with the Indian press – they’ll make one small comment into a huge headline.

Earlier Anderson had said, “I’m not sure he’s changed. I just think any technical deficiencies he’s got aren’t in play out here. We had success against him in England but the pace of the pitches over here just take any flaws he has out of the equation.

“There’s not that pace in the wicket to get the nicks, like we did against him in England with a bit more movement. Pitches like this suit him down to the ground. “He’s a very good player of spin and if you’re not bang on the money and don’t take your chances, he’ll punish you,” said the most successful English pacer.

On the fifth morning when Anderson walked out to bat Ravichandran Ashwin exchanged a few words with him and the umpires had to intervene and separate them both. Indian captain Kohli in the post match interaction said that Ashwin was disappointed with what Jimmy had said and asked him to accept defeat.

“For the first time I was trying to calm things down in the middle at a time when James Anderson is involved,” Kohli said. “Ashwin wasn’t pleased with what (Anderson) said in the press and I didn’t even know about it. He told me on the ground.

“So I didn’t know what to make of it. I was laughing about it. Ashwin wasn’t too impressed and he let him know without using any bad words, honestly,” Kohli said. “I think (Ashwin) told me he was pretty disappointed with what he said and it is important to accept defeat as it is. Later on, I told James these things happen and let’s move on,” the 28-year-old said.

Watch Vaughan’s chat with BBC: