Former England captain Nasser Hussain said that Virat Kohli’s absence from the upcoming Tests will be a huge loss for India in the ongoing five-match Test series. He also said this amid reports that Kohli will miss out on the third and fourth Tests in Rajkot and Ranchi as well, after missing the first two Test matches citing personal reasons. Hussain, however, supported him in prioritising his private life as well.
Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports: “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 continued: “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.”
However, Nasser Hussain again added that fans will miss out on the interesting battle between Virat Kohli and veteran England speedster, James Anderson. Notably, the pace spearhead has also dismissed Kohli seven times in Tests. Kohli, though, has scored 305 runs which came at an average of 43.6 against the speedster as well.
“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. 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,” Nasser Hussain concluded. “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.”
