Former captain Nasser Hussain has reacted to reports of Virat Kohli missing the next two Tests against England owing to personal reasons. India missed the experience of Kohli in the middle-order in Hyderabad and Vizag and if he misses the next two Tests then it is going to be a big blow for the side.
The five-match Test series is currently tied at 1-1 and the next match will be played in Rajkot followed by Ranchi as the reports suggest that Kohli is likely to miss them and might also not return for the final Test in Dharamsala.
Hussain said that family and private life should be the top priority but Kohli’s absence is going to be a big blow for India.
“Kohli and his family and his private life have 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,” Hussain said on SkySports.
Meanwhile, another star batter KL Rahul also missed the second Test due to an injury but Hussain feels that he might be back for the remainder of the series.
“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,” he added.
However, Hussain said that Kohli’s absence is a blow for world cricket as it is a special series with two teams playing highly competitive cricket on the field.
“It will be a blow for India, blow for the series, blow for World Cricket. It’s gonna be a special series, already has been the first two games have been fascinating, and make no mistake, Virat Kohli is one of the greatest batters to ever play the game and any series, and any side would miss someone of that stature,” he added.
Kohli has a good record batting against England in Tests with 1991 runs in 28 Tests at an average of 42.36 with the help of five tons and nine half-centuries.
The former English captain suggested that Kohli has done a lot for cricket and if needs a break then he deserves it.
“First things first, the game needs to look after the likes of Virat Kohli as well. He’s been playing international cricket for more than 15 years now, and if he needs a break to be away with family, just some time away from the game, absolutely we wish Virat Kohli all the best,” he added.
However, if the batting maestro. didn’t return then the cricketing world will miss the chance of witnessing another Kohli vs Anderson battle. The veteran English paceman has dismissed Kohli seven times in Tests, while the Indian star scored 305 runs against him.
“It means we don’t have the mouth-watering possibility of an Anderson and Kohli contest like we’ve seen over the years. So, be it.”
“There have been some soft dismissals in that Indian batting lineup, and it has left him vulnerable at times. One thing Kohli is with batting is ruthless. He doesn’t do soft dismissals. He’s driven by getting runs and winning games. So, they’ll miss that. Any side would miss the class of Virat Kohli,” he added.
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