After the opening Test between India and New Zealand that ended in a draw at Kanpur, Virat Kohli is all set to make a comeback to the team and resume his captaincy duties. Kohli had taken a short break post the conclusion of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 and was rested for the T20I series as well as the opening Test.
Legendary Indian cricketer VVS Laxman said he was looking forward to Kohli’s return to the squad and he is also expecting him to immediately make an impact.
“I’m really looking forward to the return of Virat Kohli because we know that he missed the first Test and the T20 series. It has been some time since Virat Kohli got the match at the three-figure mark and we know what a quality player he is. So, I am expecting him to straight away come, and create an impact because we know whenever he plays to his potential, he poses a lot of threat to any bowling unit. So, the player to watch out for me will be Virat Kohli,” Laxman told Star Sports.
There have been plenty of talks around Kohli not being able to reach the three-figure mark since 2019 and it remains to be seen whether he can end the century drought at Wankhede.
Along with the selectors, Kohli will have a tough task up his sleeves as the team management needs to decide upon the player who will make way for Kohli in the playing XI.
Shreyas Iyer, who made his Test debut in Kanpur, grabbed the opportunity with both hands as he became only the 16th Indian batsman to score a ton on debut in whites. Iyer also scored a valuable half-century in the second innings.
Laxman suggested Mayank Agarwal’s name as the player who should be left out from the playing eleven. The former Hyderabadi batsman advised Kohli and head coach Rahul Dravid to not ignore Iyer’s performance while picking the playing XI
“Cheteshwar Pujara has the ability to open, he has opened the innings previously. The number 3 position can be filled by Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli can come at number 4 and Shreyas can come in at number 5 because how can you ignore his performance. So, I think it’s a tough call that Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli have to take. I hope that they take the right decision and don’t ignore the performance of Shreyas Iyer,” Laxman added.
