India’s head coach Rahul Dravid held a press conference after the emphatic 106-run win against England in the second Test where he was asked if star batter Virat Kohli would play in the third match.
Kohli opted out of the first two Tests citing personal reasons and there is still no confirmation about his participation in the third match. Dravid told reporters that it’s better if they ask the selectors about Kohli.
“It’s best to ask the selectors. Selectors will be in a better position to tell you as they are going to announce the squad in a few days. We will connect with him and find out,” Dravid said in a post-match presser.
On the other hand, a Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI) official confirmed an Indian source that Kohli has not yet withdrawn from the third Test and as soon as he remains available, he will play.
“Virat hasn’t made himself unavailable for 3rd Test yet. He only informed us about the first two Tests. So, he is available for selection unless he says otherwise. There will be more clarity in a day or two,” a senior BCCI official told an Indian source.
Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah guided India to a 106-run victory against England in the second Test at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam, on Monday.
Bumrah took nine wickets across two innings to bring India back in the series after losing the first Test following a close contest.
England were chasing the target of 399 runs to win the Test but the visiting side didn’t get off to a great start and kept on losing wickets.
Ben Duckett departed after scoring 28 runs, Rehan Ahmed, who came in as a night watchman, followed him after posting 23 runs, leaving his side 95/2 in 22 overs.
The wickets kept falling but the right-handed opener Zak Crawley stayed on the crease and continued his charge against the home side's bowlers.
However, in the 42nd over, Crawley was dismissed with a controversial decision, which changed the course of the game.
Ben Foakes and Tom Hartley contributed 36 runs each down the order but they weren’t enough in front of the big target with not many wickets left.
The whole English team was dismissed for 292 runs. Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin took three wickets each while Mukesh Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel bagged each one.
- Virat Kohli
