ICC World Cup 2023: Virat Kohli names one shot he wants to borrow from England's Joe Root

Virat Kohli (Pic: AFP)

Indian batting mainstay Virat Kohli on Sunday revealed he would like to borrow 'reverse slap' shot from England's Joe Root. England have, so far, failed to live up to their pre-tournament billing in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023, as they sit at the bottom of the table with just two points.

Lavishing praise on Root, Kohli told Star Sports, "Joe, he is great all-round the way he plays reverse slap I would like to take that shot." Root has played this shot numerous times against spinners as well as pacers to find boundaries and put pressure on the bowlers. There aren't many batters who can execute this specific shot the way Root does, especially in the red-ball format.

Meanwhile, after being asked to bat first against England, India on Sunday witnessed a tumultuous beginning after losing two wickets in the space of one run. Shubman Gill was the first to get dismissed as he was castled by pacer Chris Woakes for nine. India were 26 for 1 then. An even bigger shock was awaiting India as in-form Virat Kohli departed for a nine-ball duck, his first in ODIs this year.

Also Read: World Cup: Top-order collapse leaves India on the brink

Left-arm quick David Willey claimed the prized scalp after Kohli played a loose shot to be caught at mid-off by Ben Stokes and walked off to stunned silence at Lucknow's Ekana Stadium. Shreyas Iyer soon followed the suit, clattering Woakes to Mark Wood at mid-on after making four as India slipped to 40-3 in 12 overs.

India currently sits in second place in the tournament's standings with 10 points and has a net run rate of +1.353. South Africa leapfrogged after they defeated Pakistan in a nail-biting one-wicket victory.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.

England: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.

(With inputs from agencies)