"It'll be nice to have Virat Kohli out " - Rehan Ahmed ahead of IND vs ENG 3rd Test
England's leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed has expressed his desire to dismiss star Indian batter Virat Kohli in the ongoing five-match Test series between the two cricketing giants.
Kohli opted out of the first two Tests, citing personal reasons. While there is no clarity yet over his availability for the upcoming third fixture, Ahmed mentioned that he looks forward to the challenge of bowling against the ace batter.
During an interview with talkSPORT Cricket, Rehan Ahmed said:
"It'll be good. I think it will be another challenge. He is an unbelievable player. The record speaks for itself. It'll be nice to have Virat Kohli out as well. Give me an opportunity to do that; hopefully, I do."
Yashasvi Jaiswal starred with the bat in the second Test in Visakhapatnam, scoring 209 runs in the first innings. Shubman Gill also made amends following a few underwhelming outings, amassing a timely century in the second essay.
Speaking about the batting exploits of the two Indian youngsters, Ahmed said:
"Jaiswal is a great player. I really like the way he plays. Hopefully, he doesn't get any runs against us, but you have to respect he played very well, and so did Shubman."
Rehan Ahmed has picked up eight wickets across four innings in the first two Tests. India secured a 106-run win in the second Test to level the five-match series 1-1.
"We could have chased the score; we just didn't" - Rehan Ahmed on Visakhapatnam Test
England failed to chase down a 399-run target in the fourth inning in Visakhapatnam, getting bundled out for 292. Rehan Ahmed mentioned that the visitors were confident of chasing the total.
He opined that England's fightback in the Test was an achievement in itself, as they made it seem as if they were going to win the game, despite the imposing total and the spin-friendly conditions. Ahmed added:
"I reckon we could have chased the score; we just didn't. We put ourselves in a great position. We were very behind the game at one position, and we came back and were favourites. For an English team, for people to even think that we are going to chase down 400 in a day in India in the fourth innings is just a big accomplishment by itself."
The third Test between India and England will be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot from February 15 to 19.