'If he can get to 30, he's gonna get that three figures' - Michael Vaughan predicts Virat Kohli's fate ahead of Edgbaston Test

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan believes Virat Kohli will be the player to look out for in the rescheduled fifth Test against England at Edgbaston. India are leading the series by 2-1, and a victory in the final game, or even a draw, will lead to the team clinching the series.

India’s luck at Edgbaston has never worked in their favour as the team has lost six out of seven fixtures at this venue with the remaining one being a draw. It will be a contest worth watching as India look to win the series, and the Ben Stokes-led English team looks to level the series by winning the ultimate clash. The hosts are backed with a brilliant 3-0 victory over New Zealand, whereas the Jasprit Bumrah-led visitors will be playing a Test match for the first time since March 2022.

“The Indian player to look out for at Edgbaston is Virat Kohli. Just go back a few years when he produced one of the greatest Test match century on this ground. I think he’s due. When you look back, how long has it been since he got three figures? It’s been a long long while for Virat Kohli, if he can get to 30, I reckon he’s gonna get that three figures that he’s been desperately wanting for such a long period of time,” Vaughan told Cricbuzz.

Kohli smashed a century the last time he played a Test in Birmingham

Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian pacer, will be guiding India in the game in Rohit’s absence. The responsibility would fall on Kohli, who will be eager to end the century slump, while two of the game’s top hitters, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma, miss out. The 33-year-old hasn’t scored a century in more than two years, and a run of poor results in recent games has placed Kohli in the limelight.

But when India last visited Birmingham for a red-ball fixture, in 2018, the former captain Kohli put up a fantastic performance as the right-handed batsman back then struck a hundred and followed it up with a half-century in the second innings, but his efforts went in vain as India lost by 31 runs.