'Virat Kohli may well be back for 3rd Test. KL Rahul…': Hussain on ...

Former England captain Nasser Hussain expects Virat Kohli to be back in the Indian squad for the remaining three Tests of the series. Kohli had withdrawn from the first two Tests citing personal reasons. While there hasn't been any confirmation on his return, the chances of the former India captain donning the whites in the third Test in Rajkot cannot be ruled out. There hasn't been any official word on the exact reason behind Kohli's absence but his friend and former South Africa captain AB de Villiers revealed that the Indian batting maestro and his wife Anushka Sharma are expecting their second child.

Virat Kohli(PTI)

Kohli is not the only high-profile cricketer India missed in the second Test in Visakhapatnam which they won by 106 runs to draw level in the five-match series. Fast bowler Mohammed Shami, batter KL Rahul and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja were also not available due to their respective injuries. The chances for Jadeja and Shami's return before the third Test on February 15 are slim.

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"It is set up perfectly, with three Tests to play. I think it will be a tight series but England are going to have to expect India to come back even harder. India have missed quite a few key players so far," Hussain said as quoted from Sky Sports.

"Mohammad Shami, I think, is out for the series, Ravi Jadeja could well be out for another Test match and Virat Kohli has been out of the first two. We are talking about some serious cricketers there. Kohli may well come back in, KL Rahul also, so I would expect a stronger Indian side in those last three games of the series. England will know that they're going to have to up their game," Hussain added.

When India head coach Rahul Dravid was asked about Kohli in the post-match press conference, the former India captain said the selectors would have a word with him to know about his status. "I think it's best to ask the selectors. I am sure they are the best people to answer ahead of the team selection for the next three Tests. We will get to that. I am sure there will be selection over the next few days. We will connect with him and find out," he said.

Hussain also went on to praise ‘magical’ Jasprit Bumrah and called him the reason why the hosts ended up wrapping up a 106-run victory in the second match.

The 30-year-old pacer scalped 6/45 in the first innings and produced a bewitching spell which rattled England's batting line-up.

Even in the second innings, he went on to claim three wickets, which forced the visitors to succumb to a score of 292.

"It was a fantastic Test match. Brilliant pitch and brilliant sides going hard at each other. One way or the other England fighting hard as they often do. They often give away a first-inning lead as they did in the first Test. But they fought back well with their performance yesterday. And I think it was really the magic of Jasprit Bumrah. He got 3 today, but that spell in the first innings - 6 for 40 odd, blew away England for 250 on a really good flat pitch. The magic of Bumrah and the ball to Ollie Pope, that spell he bowled was, in the end, the difference between the two sides," Hussain said.