The absence of India’s most influential batter leaves a huge void in the line-up, and to fill that gap, the team management is back to the drawing board two days before the start of the series in Hyderabad on January 25.
Kohli’s tally of Test runs against England stands at 1991 with an average of 42.36. Also, the batting icon is only 152 runs away from completing 9,000 runs in Test cricket.
“Mr. Virat Kohli has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to be withdrawn from the first two Tests of the upcoming IDFC First Bank Test series against England, citing personal reasons,” read the release from the Indian cricket board.
“Virat has spoken to captain Rohit Sharma, the team management and the selectors and has emphasized that while representing the country has always been his top priority, certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention,” it added.
It’s still unclear what situation has forced Kohli to withdraw himself, but it leaves the Indian selectors and think-tank, led by coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma, to rejig the line-up and also pick the batter they would want to replace Kohli in the squad for the first two Tests.
Kohli went on to become a constant for India at No. 4 in Test cricket not long after the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar. But with him unavailable, it could open up the possiblity of bringing in a specialist wicketkeeper-batter in the form of KS Bharat or Dhruv Jurel. Besides, the shuffle in batting lineup could necessitate moving Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul up a slot in the eleven.
As far as bringing in a replacement for Kohli in the squad, there’s a chance for Rajat Patidar or Sarfaraz Khan to get the call-up.
Patidar was prolific in his outing against the England Lions recently and the four-day tour game, while Sarfaraz’s consistent run-scoring also provides him with an opportunity. But the BCCI selectors also may not look beyond the seasoned Cheteshwar Pujara in this case, especially after his recent double century in the Ranji Trophy.
Coming back to the reason for Kohli’s absence, BCCI has urged the media and fans to not speculate.
“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.”
