Peter Such: ‘Kohli is hungry for runs, like Lara’

Peter Such's six-wicket haul on his debut innings at Old Trafford in 1993 against Australia was overshadowed by Shane Warne's ball of the century to Mike Gatting.

Virat Kohli was voted the ICC cricketer of the year 2018.

It was not just the ball that Peter Such turned on his Test debut.

The England off-spinner turned heads as well, claiming six for 67 against a classy Australian batting line up at Old Trafford in 1993. But, that match is more remembered for the most famous turn of a cricket ball in history — Shane Warne’s ball of the century, the leg-break that clean-bowled Mike Gatting.

“Yes, my debut was overshadowed by Warne’s ball, but I couldn’t have done anything about it,” Such told  Sportstar. “I was sitting at the pavilion when it happened, but those days you would only get a square-on view from where the players were, so I had to pop into the dressing room to see what happened. That truly was an unbelievable ball.”

Spin bowling has changed a lot since those days, when Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan and Anil Kumble reigned supreme. “But, there are fine spinners today, too,” said Such, England’s lead national spin bowling coach, who is touring with the Lions team. “R. Ashwin and Nathan Lyon are top class bowlers; they are easily the world’s best off-spinners. Ashwin has amazing variety.”

Such rates Ashwin (L) and Lyon as the best off-spinners in the world.

Such’s compatriot Moeen Ali may not be in the same class, but he feels he is a much better bowler than he is given credit for. “He is vastly underrated as a bowler, and he is a very good batsman too, which helps,” he says. “He has enjoyed a lot of success against India, whose batsmen are good players of spin.”

Among those batsmen he has the highest regard for Virat Kohli. “He is without doubt the best batsman in the world,” he says. “What separates him from others is his hunger for runs. He is greedy – I am using that word in a good sense – even. He reminds me of Brian Lara, who, too, was hungry for runs.”

Such had played against Lara quite a bit on the county circuit. “But, I could never bowl against Sachin Tendulkar, as I never played against India,” he says. “I would have loved to play more Tests for England.”

Former England spinner Peter Such. PHOTO: P.K Ajith Kumar

 

He played only 11 Tests, from which he took 37 wickets. His best figures came in his maiden innings.

“I am proud of that performance, as it was a quality Australian batting side that I bowled to,” he said. “My favourite dismissal was clean-bowling Steve Waugh. It felt nice picking up the wickets of greats like Mark Taylor and Allan Border, too.”