Virat Kohli, on Monday (Jan 22), opted out of the first two Tests versus England due to personal reasons. The series opener kicks off in Hyderabad on Jan 25 (Thursday). A statement from the BCCI read, “The BCCI respects his decision and the Board and team management has extended its support to the star batter and is confident in the abilities of the remaining squad members to step up and deliver commendable performances in the Test series. 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.”

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Kohli’s absence is a huge blow to India, who remain unbeaten in home Tests since 2012/13. Following the announcement, former England captain-turned-commentator Nasser Hussain reacted to the news and said that Kohli’s non-participation gives ‘glimmer of hope’ to Ben Stokes-led England in the first two Tests.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Hussain said, “My first thought is that we wish Virat well. Like Brook, he’s taken a step back for personal reasons, and everyone in the game should respect that. Some things are more important than cricket. But there’s no doubt that India, and the series, will miss him.”

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‘Any team would suffer when a player of Kohli’s class drops out’

He added, “He’s also been in great form, and his absence from Thursday’s first Test at Hyderabad and next week’s second at Visakhapatnam deprives fans all over the world from watching a genius at work. That said, any team would suffer when a player of Kohli’s class drops out, and it gives England a glimmer of hope in the first two Tests of a series in which they begin as clear underdogs.”

Kohli averages a healthy 60.05 in home Tests. Against England, he has scored 1,015 runs on home soil with a best of 235 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Thus, his absence will be felt by the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team. His replacement has not been named so far by Team India.

Despite no Kohli, India will start as favourites having a solid record at home. Their last series loss was in 2012/13, which came against England.

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