Reports are coming out to state that, Virat Kohli, the star Indian batsman, might be absent for a longer duration in the ongoing five-match Test series against England.
Virat Kohli is set to miss the upcoming third and fourth Test matches against England due to personal reasons, as per reports. His last appearance on the field was in the third T20I against Afghanistan in Bengaluru, where he faced a golden duck. Kohli had also sat out the first Afghanistan match for personal reasons and managed to score 29 runs in the second T20I.
According to ESPNCricinfo, selectors are unlikely to include Kohli in the squad for the Tests in Rajkot and Ranchi, and it’s expected that he will also be absent from the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had previously announced on January 22 that Kohli would be unavailable for the first two Tests due to personal reasons, and he had joined the Indian team before departing on the same day.
Nasser Hussain, the former captain of the England cricket team, recognized that Virat Kohli’s absence in the upcoming two Tests would be a major setback for India. Hussain stressed the importance of Kohli prioritizing his personal life after years of continuous involvement in cricket.
“But Kohli and his family and his private life has to come first, so it’s a blow for India, but as we’ve seen, they’ve got a lot of very good young batters. But KL Rahul, who was injured for the last game, played brilliantly in the last few months for India and in all formats. I think he’ll come back in, so he’ll add to their batting,” Hussain stated in a video.
At 35 years old, he holds an impressive track record against England, gathering a total of 1991 runs in 28 Tests, maintaining an average of 42.36. This includes five centuries and nine half-centuries. In Tests played at home, he managed to score 1015 runs in 13 matches, boasting an average of 56.38, with his highest score reaching 235.
In the meantime, according to an ESPNcricinfo update, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, who have been nursing injuries, are making positive strides in their rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. The final assessment from the NCA physio is pending for both players, and there’s optimism that at least one of them will be fit for the third Test starting on February 15 at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.
