Virat Kohli's absence has been a void to fill for the Indian cricket team in the series against England. The star batter has missed the first two Tests of the ongoing five-match series due to personal reasons and is reportedly likely to miss the next two as well. Former England skipper Nasser Hussain has said that Kohli's absence is a big blow for the Indian team, the series and also for world cricket.
India are yet to name their squad for the remaining three Tests against England and the fans are eagerly waiting for it. Moreover, Kohli is likely to remain absent from at least the upcoming two Tests, as reported by ESPNCricinfo and is doubtful for the final one too.
"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," Hussain said on Sky Sports.
However, the ex-England skipper said that Kohli has been playing for the last 15 years and deserves to take a break if needed. "The game needs to look after the likes of Virat Kohli as well. He has been playing international cricket for more than 15 years now, and if he needs a break to be away with family, (to) get some time away from the game, we absolutely wish Virat Kohli all the best," Hussain said.
"If it means we don't get the mouth-watering possibility of an Anderson versus Kohli contest that we have seen over the years, then so be it. But Kohli and his family and his private life has to come first," he added.
Kohli's No.4 slot was filled by KL Rahul in the first Test, who played a good knock in the first innings. However, Shreyas Iyer failed to fill the void in the second match when Rahul was out due to quadricep pain.
"Virat Kohli is one of the greatest batters ever to play the game and any series, and any side will miss someone of his stature. It will be a blow for India, but as we have seen, they have got a very good lot of young batters. I think, just speculating, KL Rahul, who missed the second game after being brilliant over the last few months, could come back in for India," Hussain added.
