Virat Kohli is a world-class player: Chris Woakes

The third Test between India and England got underway on Saturday and the day was owned by the visitors which was expected by a very after they lost the toss on an overcast morning. Their openers batted extremely well upfront after which the middle-order cashed in big time. If not for Chris Woakes, who picked three wickets in the first session, things would’ve been worse for the hosts by the end of day’s play.

He went on to nip Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara and reduced India to 82/3. But then the captain Virat Kohli and the vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane showed their class in the middle session and didn’t lose their wicket. Both added 159 runs for the fourth wicket to forge a stunning comeback and also frustrated the hosts who were expecting to skittle them early like the second Test.

Chris Woakes, after the end of day’s play, was just happy that they were able to send back Kohli who was dismissed once again by Adil Rashid, fourth time on this tour, as he is capable of playing a big knock. He scored 97 during his stay in the middle and was really looking dominate when he got out of the leg-spinner.

“If he (Rashid) could do that when he’s on nought, that’d be nice. But Virat’s a world-class player, so to get him out at any point in the game is important because obviously he can go on and score big ones, go on and get ‘doubles’. So that’s a big wicket for us, and to then get another tonight was important,” he said.

On Pant

Woakes also termed Rishabh Pant as an extremely good white-ball player and believed that England needed to pick him early on the second day by pitching the ball in the right areas. “He’s an extremely good white-ball player. He obviously comes out and plays his shots, as we saw to Adil today. (But) I suppose in English conditions, you like to think if you put the ball in the right areas enough we might be able to find his edge,” he added.

Woakes was the best bowler on the day for the home side as he ended with the figures of 3/75 and would be keen to pick the remaining four wickets of the opposition as early as possible on the second day.

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