Not to be included in the current England series due to personal concerns, star Indian batsman Virat Kohli has withdrawn. Before the first Test, the 35-year-old arrived in Hyderabad for the national camp, but things swiftly altered when he made the decision to return home. Since there is currently no information regarding Kohli’s whereabouts, BCCI asked the supporters to respect his privacy.
But in the first two Test matches of the series, his absence was felt greatly. Except for the first half in Hyderabad, India’s middle order has not performed well thus far. India is currently scheduled to use an inexperienced middle order for the third Test, which raises eyebrows against a courageous England.
Former England cricketer David Lloyd feels optimistic about India’s prospects, even if they are in a predicament when it comes to their batting. The 76-year-old said that since the younger players have stepped up and performed well for the national team recently, India won’t be missing Kohli. He went on to praise Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is currently the series’ top run scorer.
Even though Virat Kohli is one of the best players we’ve ever seen, David Lloyd said for The Daily Mail, “All of India has been digesting the news that he will not play any part in the series but I don’t think it weakens them too much.”
“The Indian batsmen are all capable of scoring enormous totals, and Shubman Gill showed his mettle in the second Test. Yashasvi Jaiswal is the player with whom England has had the most issues thus far, therefore, their task is to attempt to come up with a strategy to remove the series’ top run scorer,” David Lloyd continued.
According to reports, Sarfaraz Khan is most likely to play in his first Test match. Now that Shreyas Iyer has been dropped, Sarfaraz, who has consistently shown himself in domestic cricket, is likely to be given the chance to take the number-five spot. KS Bharat, on the other hand, might be replaced in the starting lineup by Dhurv Jurel.