India vs England: KL Rahul laughs off Jake Ball's short ball threat to skipper Virat Kohli

New Delhi: After failing to defend 350, England bowlers are thinking about new ways how to unsettle Indian batting lin-up, specially skipper Virat Kohli.

On Tuesday, Jake Ball threatened to use short balls against Kohli, who made a mockery of England attack scoring 122 off 105 balls.

“I think that under the lights where it may skid on a bit more – you can use the shorter ball a little bit more… But I think it’s just trying to mix it up as much as you can… try not to let him get settled and hope he hits one up in the air,” Ball told BBC Radio 5 live.

But Jake's threat has been laughed off by Lokesh Rahul. The India opener, on the eve of the second ODI match, said it should not be a problem for the skipper.

"Good luck for them, he has so many runs. He has scored a lot of runs off short balls. We are not at all worried about short balls," he said.

He reminded how Kohli treated the short balls in the Pune ODI. One particular shot which sttod out was that extraordinary short-arm jab off a Chris Woakes short ball which went for a six.

"We like to make runs off short deliveries. Knowing Virat and having watched him score so many centuries, I don't think it will be a problem," he added.

The second ODI will be played on Thursday at Cuttack's Barabati Stadium. And it's expected to be yet another run-feast.

(With PTI inputs)