The premier Australian spinner, Nathan Lyon said the absence of Virat Kohli after the first Test during the four-match series in Australia will be ‘disappointing’, adding that he loves competing against the best in the business. The Indian team landed in Sydney on Thursday and began their 14-day mandatory quarantine ahead of the limited-overs and the Test series.
Virat flew to Australia from Dubai but the Indian skipper will only play the first Test, which will be a day-night fixture in Adelaide, apart from the limited-overs series. Kohli had been granted paternity leave and he will be with his wife and Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma for the birth of their child.
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Talking about Kohli, Lyon said, “It’s disappointing for the series. You want to play against the best players in the world. I believe he is the best player in the world along with Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. It’s disappointing but they have still got superstars.”
However, the veteran off-spinner believes that India will still be a strong side in the last 3 Test matches and Australia cannot be complacent. Notably, India registered a 2-1 series win over Australia under Virat Kohli in 2018-19. Australia were without Steve Smith and David Warner the last time but the two stars are back and the hosts will have a slender edge against the touring side.
Describing the same, Lyon said, “Look at Pujara, Rahane, and they have also got a couple of young guys coming in. It’s still going to be a massive challenge for us. Just because Virat’s not here doesn’t mean we get to hold the trophy up. We’ve still got a lot of work to do, a lot of homework to do.”
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India will begin training while being in quarantine from November 14 in Sydney. The ODI series is scheduled to be commencing on November 28 at the SCG following which a 3-match T20 series will be played. India and Australia will lock horns in the much-anticipated Test series from December 17.
