The current five-match Test series between India and England has seen both teams play incredibly well. Star batsman Virat Kohli, however, missed the first two Test matches of the series due to his decision to withdraw, citing personal reasons in order to spend more time with his family.
Kohli might also be unable to make it to the third game against England, which will start on February 15 in Rajkot. The batter’s availability is yet unknown to the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India).
All of the focus will be on Kohli. The board honors his private area. Nothing like that will happen if he accepts to play a role in the series. However, it will be his decision; a BCCI source was cited by the Times of India.
In the meantime, both Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul, who were both injured, are still recovering. Though it is unlikely that Jadeja would return for the remainder of the series, Rahul’s odds of arriving in time for the third game are encouraging.
Rahul appears to be making a full recovery. The insider stated that there’s a good chance he’ll return for the third Test match.
India wants the series to be tied with England.
Ollie Pope’s outstanding performance helped the visitors take the series lead as England won the opening Test of the series in Hyderabad by a margin of 28 runs. In contrast, the Indian team’s performance in the second Test in Visakhapatnam was outstanding.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s outstanding double century helped India, batting first, score 396 runs in total. With three wickets apiece, James Anderson, Shoaib Bashir, and Rehan Ahmed led England in scoring, while Tom Hartley claimed one wicket.
England had a strong start when they batted, with opener Zak Crawley scoring 76 runs in 78 deliveries, but India took a 143-run lead when Jasprit Bumrah hit a six-fer. With star batsman Shubman Gill coming into his own once again and smashing 104 runs in 147 deliveries, the hosts put up an incredible display on Day 3.