As per an ESPNCricinfo report, Virat Kohli’s absence from the India Vs England Test series is set to be extended with the experienced batter set to miss the third and fourth Test matches in Rajkot and Ranchi respectively. Kohli is also said to be a doubt for the final Test match in Dharamsala.
What Kohli’s absence means for India
The potential absence of Virat Kohli comes as a huge blow to India who have missed their star batter in the first two Test matches. In Kohli’s absence, India slumped to a disappointing loss in the first Test in Hyderabad but came back strong to level the series in the second Test in Vizag.
In the previous Test match in Vizag, India rode on stellar performances by Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah to level the series. And if Kohli misses the remainder of the series, India will either need an encore from these players or someone else to step up in Kohli’s absence.
While India will certainly miss Kohli’s presence on the field, they will be bolstered by the return of KL
Rahul. The Karnataka batter has been recovering from a quadricep injury and is expected to return and take Kohli’s number 4 spot in the batting line-up.
Along with KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj is also expected to return to the playing XI after recovering from injury. The return of Siraj is expected to not only bolster the bowling attack but also lessen the pressure on Bumrah who bowled India to victory in the second Test.
