Legendary England pacer Stuart Broad reckons it’s unfortunate for Test cricket and its fans that Virat Kohli will miss the entire ongoing India vs England Test series.
The BCCI announced India’s squad for the last three Tests against England, confirming that Virat Kohli is not available. Kohli had pulled out from the first two Tests, after landing in Hyderabad for the first Test, to attend a family emergency.
It has been reported that the 35-year-old is currently not in India because of a family emergency. Kohli not featuring in this series also means that a possible end to his rivalry with James Anderson, who is unlikely to play till the summer of 2025 when India will next tour England.
Stuart Broad conceded that India will miss the services of their “champion player” that is Virat Kohli, but acknowledged the importance of being with the family.
“It’s a shame for the series that he will be missing but India have won the last Test. Kohli is such a quality player, his passion, his fire, but obviously personal matters always take precedence. But it gives a great opportunity to young players also. So someone in the Indian batting line-up will stand up at some stage,” Broad told IANS.
In Kohli’s absence, KL Rahul batted at number 4 in the first Test and Shreyas Iyer in the second Test. With Iyer dropped, Rahul is set to slot back in after recovering from a quad injury. Rajat Patidar made his debut in Vizag.
Hyderabad’s performance is the most impressive performance of the England team: Stuart Broad
Broad, who was part of some of England’s memorable wins under Stokes and McCullum in Pakistan, New Zealand, and against Australia at home, opined that the win in Hyderabad, by 28 runs, was their best win in the Bazball era.
“I love it. The series is one-all (1-1) at the moment, but I think ‘Bazball’ has proven that it can work in every country. I think Hyderabad’s performance is the most impressive performance of the England team. We won in Pakistan 3-0, we played well in New Zealand. So ‘Bazball’ is a mentality that is driving the game forward,” the former pacer added.
The third Test will start on February 15 in Rajkot.
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