'The truth is that if he's available, he'll play' - Ishant Sharma on Virat Kohli's inclusion for 2nd England T20I

Veteran pacer Ishant Sharma has opined that if former skipper Virat Kohli is available for the second T20I match against England, then he will be included in the playing XI. The right-arm pacer also stated that it might be hard on Deepak Hooda as he played a vital role at No. 3 in the first T20I.

To note, the Men in Blue thrashed the Three Lions during the first T20I match by 50 runs and gained a lead in the three-match T20I series. The second match of the series will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham on July 9 (Saturday) and team India will be looking to seal the series.

It will be hard on Deepak Hooda: Ishant Sharma

“I think it will be hard on Deepak Hooda, because Virat Kohli will come in at No.3. It is something that no matter how much you try to tell yourself, the truth is that if Kohli is available, he will play,” Ishant said on Jatin Sapru’s YouTube channel.

The pacer also opined that star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja should directly come to the playing XI replacing Axar Patel. “Ravindra Jadeja should come in for Axar Patel, he can hit the ball just like Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik,” he said. “I think Suryakumar Yadav will play both of the remaining matches at No 4 ahead of Shreyas Iyer. They might rotate the five incoming players because these are back-to-back matches.”

Meanwhile, the home team will also want to make a comeback in the series in the second T20I match. Skipper Jos Buttler, who did not have much of a say during the first T20I as he was dismissed for a golden duck by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, will look to play an impactful knock during the second encounter. His partner Jason Roy will also look to play a quick hand in the field restrictions after struggling in the first T20I.