Former England skipper Nasser Hussain said that he is looking forward to seeing the battle of modern-day legends Virat Kohli and James Anderson in the remaining games of the five-match test series in India. So far, the series has been closely contested, with both teams tied at one after the second game in Vizag.
James Anderson missed the first Test in Hyderabad but took five wickets in the second Test in Visakhapatnam being the best bowler from England. On the other hand, Virat Kohli withdrew from the first two Tests for personal issues and there is no word on his comeback for the final three Tests.
Nasser Hussain, speaking in a Q&A session for the Daily Mail, Nasser Hussain expects Virat Kohli to make a comeback for the remainder of the series and is looking forward to seeing the battle between Virat Kohli and Jimmy Anderson in the series, believing Kohli will be ruthless against England’s quality bowling attack.
“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.
“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 said.
James Anderson has dismissed Virat Kohli 10 times in 37 international cricket matches. The 41-year-old has dismissed Kohli seven times in 25 Tests combined of home and away format. It would be an engaging battle between both the stalwarts given their prowess in International Cricket.
Jonny Bairstow Will Need To Be Clinical And Get A Big Score – Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain believes that Jonny Bairstow must convert his starts in the game and has challenged all English batters to score large after they have settled in the middle. He expects the England team management to support its players regardless of the circumstances.
“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 added.
English wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow, who is playing as a pure batter in the ongoing tour of India has struggled to produce significant runs for his team in the recent test series. Bairstow has just 157 runs in two Tests at an average of 24.50, with a highest score of 37, and would like to turn things around for the squad in the next three games.