BCCI announced the squad for the remaining three Tests of the five-match series against England, with Virat Kohli set to miss the remaining matches as well due to personal reasons.
Aakash Chopra, the former Indian opener, believes that Virat Kohli's absence won't spell defeat for India in the ongoing home series against England. Chopra highlights India's historic series win in Australia in 2020-21, where Kohli missed three out of four Tests. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently confirmed Kohli's continued absence due to personal reasons for the remaining three Tests against England.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash acknowledges the impact of Kohli's absence on the team's batting unit but asserts that life goes on. 'I would not go that far (losing the series without Virat). Let us be honest, life does not stop because of someone coming or going. Life must go on, the show must go on. We are feeling Kohli's absence a lot, I will be very honest,' said Aakash.
He reminds fans that India clinched victory in Australia even with Kohli absent for most of the series. Aakash emphasizes that Kohli's absence doesn't guarantee a series loss, pointing out India's success in Australia after losing the Adelaide Test where Kohli played.
Aakash further analyses that considering England's 'ordinary' bowling attack and the nature of the pitches in the ongoing Test matches, 'Kohli could have dominated and scored big. Considering the bowling standards and the sort of pitch that was there in Vizag and when we got to bat for the first time in Hyderabad, Kohli would have scored at least one 150 in the two matches,' said Aakash.
He predicts that Kohli, facing a less challenging bowling attack, would have showcased his prowess and prevented young spinner Rehan Ahmed from taking his wicket. 'Whether it's Shoaib Bashir, Jack Leach, or Tom Hartley, when Virat Kohli sees such a bowling attack, he says he won't score 50-70 but 150-200. That is why he is different from others,' adds Aakash.
The BCCI confirmed Virat Kohli's unavailability for the remainder of the series due to personal reasons, expressing full support for his decision. The squad for the remaining Tests includes players like Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul (subject to fitness), and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (subject to fitness). The series is currently level at 1-1, with the third Test scheduled to commence on February 15 in Rajkot.
Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep
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 "'Life does not stop because...': Former Indian opener's candid view on Virat Kohli's Test break")
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