ENG Vs IND 2018: Mike Hussey Confident of Virat Kohli Scoring Runs in England

Former Australian middle-order batsman and popularly known as Mr Cricket, Mike Hussey feels that Indian skipper Virat Kohli will be among runs in the upcoming five-match Test series against England.

The star batsman Kohli had a horrendous time in England the last time around in 2014. He managed to score just 134 runs in 10 innings at a below-par average of 13.40.

Kohli is a much-improved batsman now and has practised very hard in the last four years. He kept getting dismissed at full-length deliveries outside the off stump. He took help from the Little Master Sachin Tendulkar.

The Modern Master made a great impact in the Test series in Australia scoring four centuries in the process. There has been no looking back since that series.

He will be raring to go against a strong England side and will surely look to make a difference in what seems to be a huge series for him both as a skipper and a batsman.

“The experience of the last tour should help Virat Kohli. It’s unfortunate that he couldn’t play for Surrey due to an injury. He will be determined to do well this time. If he gets his confidence up and spends some time in the middle, he will be hard to stop,” Hussey maintained.

Mike Hussey picks the important Indian players including Virat Kohli against England:

Hussey further hailed Indian opener, Murali Vijay. The stylish batsman has consistently scored runs in overseas conditions and has provided sensational starts to the No. 1 team.

Top-order batsman Vijay has been preparing mentally for the series and Hussey expects him to do well.

“Vijay is motivated for this series. He has been preparing mentally for a long time. He is working hard on his game. Vijay is willing to work things out for himself. I am watching his progress. He is a special guy and I like how he thinks about his game. He is important at the top for India,” Hussey said.

The former southpaw felt that Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah will be the two key bowlers for India.

Paceman Mohammed Shami will also look to step up to the occasion after missing out on the cricketing action for quite a few months.

Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar will be the two key pacers for India feels Hussey

“I would have said Bumrah but I didn’t realise he was injured. Same with Bhuvneshwar… testing the depth a little bit. I have always been a fan of Umesh Yadav. Think he is getting to a stage where is getting a better understanding of his game. He did well in the IPL and can hopefully carry that form into the series,” he added.

 

“Mohammed Shami is also a very good bowler. He can have an impact as well if he can stay fit. I guess Ishant Sharma is there as well. They are all good bowlers, but they will miss the big two. It is going to be hard to replace the two,” he added.

The England selectors picked Adil Rashid for the Tests. The decision didn’t quite go down well with the former cricketers and English pundits. They felt that it was a disgrace to include him as he is not interested in playing red ball cricket.

Mike Hussey said that it was a big gamble but backed him to come good.

“I guess he was not interested in playing the long form of the game at the beginning of the summer. It is a bit of a gamble I guess. He obviously had experience at this level before. Listening to a couple of his statements he has been making recently, he seems really switched on and keen to play,” he concluded.