"If Virat Kohli Is Coming Back..." - Brendon McCullum's Glittering Remark On Batter's Return

England National Cricket Team head coach Brendon McCullum has spoken about the possible return of India National Cricket Team modern-day batting great Virat Kohli for the remainder of the five-match IND vs ENG Test series.

Kohli pulled out of the India squad for the first two Test matches citing personal reasons. The BCCI also asked fans and media not to speculate on the reason behind the absence of Kohli from the matches.

However, recently the real reason behind Kohli’s unavailability was revealed by one of his closest friends and former RCB teammate AB de Villiers. The legendary Proteas batsman, while speaking on his official YouTube channel, stated that Kohli and Anushka Sharma are expecting their second child and the batter has withdrawn from the series to spend time with his family.

The India squad for the remaining three Test matches is yet to be announced by the selectors and there is a question mark over the availability of Virat Kohli. When Rahul Dravid was asked about Kohli after the second Test in Vizag, he said that only the selection committee can tell about the batter’s availability.

Other than Virat Kohli, India missed KL Rahul as well as Ravindra Jadeja for the Vizag Test as the duo picked up injuries in the first Test in Hyderabad. Rahul has reportedly recovered from his injury, but Jadeja is still recovering and remains doubtful for the remainder of the series.

Virat Kohli is one of the greatest players the game has seen – Brendon McCullum

Speaking ahead of England’s departure to Abu Dhabi for a break ahead of the third Test, Brendon McCullum stated that Kohli is one of the greatest players of all time and his presence makes Team India a better unit.

“Virat’s one of the greatest players of the game has seen. No doubt it improves this squad. As we have said throughout, the depth in Indian cricket, the talent in India is immense. So we respect every opposition player that we come up against,” Brendon McCullum told TalkSport.

McCullum further hoped that everything is well with Kohli and his family and asserted that they are ready to face him once he returns to the squad.

“If Virat is coming back… we hope everything is well with his family. We will look forward to that challenge too. He is a great competitor. I know him very well and I enjoyed playing against him, I enjoyed our team playing against him. And if you have success against the best, I am sure you have earned it,” he added.

In the absence of Virat Kohli, the Indian middle-order has struggled and his comeback would be a massive boost to the team. If he along with KL Rahul make their way into the Indian XI, they are likely to replace Shreyas Iyer and Rajat Patidar in the line-up.

The series currently stands at 1-1 and the third Test match between India and England is scheduled to be played from February 15 at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot.