Ex-England leader Nasser Hussain expected Indian cricket hero Virat Kohli to come back for the rest of the India-England Test matches. He looked forward to seeing Kohli’s duel with James Anderson restart.
Kohli chose to skip the initial two Tests, giving personal reasons, and it’s unclear if he’ll be back for the remaining matches. His encounters with seasoned England speedster Anderson have been standout aspects of the last decade in Test cricket.
While the Englishman outperformed the former Indian captain in their first matches, the tide has swung in Kohli’s favor in their most recent clashes. Kohli’s overall Test average against James Anderson is 43.60, with the latter dismissing him seven times.
Hussain told the Daily Mail that Kohli’s comeback will make India more ruthless.
“I hope he does come back because the only thing this series has been missing is the battle between Kohli and Jimmy Anderson. I’m looking forward to that.”
Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain Added:
“The one thing about India is that in three of their four innings they have been a bit sloppy. I know Rahul Dravid and he would have been ticking inside at some of the dismissals so far. India will think, ‘We keep on giving England a sniff here, let’s be more ruthless’. And the one thing Kohli is, is absolutely ruthless.”
Nasser Hussain
Despite a Test average of 42.36 versus England, Kohli’s total home average in the red ball format is a staggering 60.05.
Interestingly, Anderson wasn’t on the field for England’s initial 28-run win in Hyderabad. However, he got back on the team for the second Test at Visakhapatnam. At 41, he showed his skills with a 5/76 match tally. Yet, England took a 106-run loss despite his efforts.
“Just needs to convert one of his starts” – Nasser Hussain on Jonny Bairstow’s poor form
Nasser Hussain believes struggling batsman Jonny Bairstow should stay in the team even if Harry Brook returns, but the wicketkeeper, who is playing as a pure batter, must convert his starts into significant scores.
Bairstow has only scored 98 runs in four innings of the series, at a poor average of 24.50.
“Bairstow’s an excellent player and just needs to convert one of his starts. It wasn’t just him. All of the England batters got in and got out again in Vizag. Jonny will know if Brook does go to India he will need to be clinical and get a big score. But this England side have shown faith in players and I expect them to show faith in Bairstow.”
Nasser Hussain
Brook stepped out of the India series for personal reasons, and Dan Lawrence was appointed as his substitute. The former has been England’s finest Test hitter for the previous two years, averaging about 62 in his 12-Test career.
After a 10-day break, India and England will renew their struggle in the third Test at Rajkot, beginning on February 15.