“Only thing this series has been missing is the battle between Kohli and Jimmy Anderson”- Nasser Hussain optimistic for Virat Kohli return 3 Tests against England.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain expressed optimism about the potential return of Indian cricket star Virat Kohli for the remaining matches of the India-England Test series, foreseeing the revival of his rivalry with James Anderson.

Kohli had abstained from participating in the first two Tests due to personal reasons, leaving uncertainty regarding his availability for the subsequent games. The dynamic clashes between Kohli and veteran English bowler Anderson have been a focal point in Test cricket over the past decade.

While Anderson initially had the upper hand against the former Indian skipper, recent encounters have seen Kohli gaining an edge. Kohli maintains an average of 43.60 against Anderson in Test matches, having been dismissed by him seven times.

During a Q&A session with the Daily Mail, Hussain emphasized that Kohli’s return could bolster India’s assertiveness, saying “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.”

Despite Kohli’s slightly lower average of 42.36 against England in Tests, his remarkable overall home average in red-ball cricket stands at 60.05.

In contrast, Anderson was absent from England’s narrow 28-run victory in the series opener in Hyderabad but made a comeback in the second Test at Visakhapatnam. Despite his commendable performance, claiming figures of 5/76, the 41-year-old couldn’t prevent England from succumbing to a 106-run defeat.