Former England captain defends Virat Kohli on reports of him missing entire England series

Cricket fans have had a gala time in the first two Tests of the India vs England series as they witnessed an enthralling contest between two top test-playing teams in the ongoing Pataudi Trophy. With the series leveled at 1-1, the intensity is only going to increase from here with both teams vying to win the series and etch their names in the history books.

With a 9-day break before the 3rd Test at Rajkot, both the teams are off for a well-deserved break and will re-unite before the Rajkot Test. India only announced their squad for the first two Tests and will announce their squad for the remaining three matches soon. 

India was without the services of Virat Kohli for the first two Tests who opted out because of some personal reasons which are still unknown. On the other hand, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja also missed the 2nd test because of injuries. While Rahul and Jadeja are expected to join the Indian squad for the remaining Tests, uncertainty over Virat participation in the remaining three tests still looms large.

Nasser Hussain expressed his disappointment with Virat Kohli’s unavailability

There are strong reports that Virat may miss one or two more matches of the series or even the entire series which could be a huge blow for the Indian team, given his stature in Indian cricket. Former England captain Nasser Hussain has expressed his disappointment over Virat’s unavailability and said that it will be a huge blow for India.

Speaking on SkySports, Nasser Hussain said, “Yeah, well, nothing's confirmed at the moment. There's speculation, whether it's the next two Test matches, they're going to announce their side in the next few hours. Whether it's the next three Test matches, so nothing's confirmed, but it will be a blow."

“It'll be a blow for India. It'll be a blow for the series. It'll be a blow for world cricket. It's going to be a special series. It already has been. The first two games have been fascinating,” he added.

He further said, “And make no mistake, Kohli is one of the greatest batters to ever play the game, and any series and any side would miss someone of the stature of Kohli. But first things first, and the game needs to look after the likes of 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 give him some time away from the game.”