England’s head coach, Brendon McCullum, has warned that his squad is prepared for Virat Kohli’s likely return in the remaining three Tests against India.
With the series tied at 1-1 following India’s triumph in Visakhapatnam, speculation grows about Kohli’s availability, as he withdrew from the first two Tests for personal reasons.
India, led by Rohit Sharma, staged a remarkable comeback in the second Test despite missing important players KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja due to injury.
Although India’s head coach, Rahul Dravid, stated that the selectors would decide Kohli’s availability for the following Test matches, there is rising hope that the batter will be ready for the remainder of the series.
What did Brendon McCullum say?
“Virat’s one of the greatest players of the game has seen. No doubt it improves this squad. As we have said throughout, the depth in Indian cricket, the talent in India is immense. So we respect every opposition player that we come up against,” McCullum told talkSPORT.
“If Virat is coming back… we hope everything is well with his family. We will look forward to that challenge too. He is a great competitor. I know him very well and I enjoyed playing against him, I enjoyed our team playing against him. And if you have success against the best, I am sure you have earned it,” he added.
Kohli missed the first two Tests against England after the player withdrew from the squad citing personal reasons.
Kohli’s long-time friend and Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate AB de Villiers disclosed the true reason for the player’s absence on his YouTube channel, claiming that he and his wife, Anushka Sharma, were expecting their second child.
