Bazball is coming to India while Rohit Sharma & Co are gearing up to challenge it at home. Facing England in the longest format of the game has never been easy and this time, the Indian batting unit will have an additional task ahead of themselves as Virat Kohli will be unavailable for the first two matches.
The former Indian captain has pulled out citing personal reasons and the management will be required to replace him with another dependable player. The task gets tougher in the absence of the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajnikya Rahane who have been the team’s go-to batters in the past decade, playing 188 Tests together.
Pujara, who played his 100th Test last year in Delhi, wasn’t picked for the first 2 Tests against England. So wasn’t Rahane. While Pujara last featured in India’s unsuccessful campaign against Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final in England, Rahane last for India at Port of Spain last year.
The first Test against England will see India playing without Kohli, Pujara and Rahane after 12 years. Back in 2011, India hosted West Indies in a 3-match series, the first two games – in Delhi and Kolkata – didn’t feature any of them. Notably, Pujara was not a part of the Indian squad. He had played just two Test matches that year – both in South Africa – and returned to the team the next year when India hosted New Zealand in a 2-match series.
BCCI’s request to fans and media
The Indian cricket board has requested the media and fans to respect Virat Kohli’s privacy, refraining from any kind of speculations about his ‘personal’ reasons.
“The BCCI requests the media and fans to respect Virat Kohli’s privacy during this time and refrain from speculating on the nature of his personal reasons. The focus should remain on supporting the Indian cricket team as they embark on the upcoming challenges in the Test series,” it added.
The BCCI further stated that Kohli’s statement will be announced soon. The team has begun with its preparation at the Uppal Stadium in Hyderabad which will be hosting the first Test match since 2018, against West Indies.
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