Image Credit- AP
There was no hint of the surprise that awaited when
India’s 16-man team got together in Hyderabad on Saturday night. As would be expected, Virat Kohli had a
respectable hit. When it comes to training or a real cricket match, the former
skipper is always full of energy.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India made the
shocking revelation on Monday afternoon that Kohli had chosen to skip the first
two Test matches due to “personal reasons.” It was a surprise to
those who weren’t familiar with it.
It’s unclear what those private reasons are, but one
thing is for sure: a team looking to build on its supremacy at home and earn
vital World Test Championship points will suffer greatly from Kohli’s absence
for the first two matches.
Given the brilliant array of skill at Rohit Sharma’s
disposal, Kohli is not only the most accomplished Test hitter in India, but he
is also the most senior. Apart from his sheer number of runs, the 35-year-old
has a presence and energy that goes beyond statistics. It is impossible to
measure the psychological effects of a laser-like Kohli stepping out at No. 4,
twisting his bat and meaning business.
The opposing captain, Ben Stokes in this case, is
conscious that he needs to be on top of his tactical game and get rid of Kohli
quickly, or else he can rapidly run away with the game, so bowlers know they
are in for a struggle.
After suffering through a terrible stretch from August
2022 to the beginning of 2020, Kohli has found his amazing second wind again,
translating into an abundance of hundreds and runs in both white- and red-ball
formats. Even in South Africa, he appeared to be the most confident batter on
both sides, displaying his class and quality when most others were fighting to
survive on pitches that were only slightly less than diabolical.
They will now have to turn to whatever Plan B they
have for the first two-fifths of the series, at the very least. After all, with
just three days to go until the commencement of an extremely significant match
against a very strong team, how can you start preparing for life without Kohli,
however brief it may be?
Knowing that Stokes and England won’t have to deal
with Kohli for the foreseeable future allows them to relax a little. The smell
of battle is the one thing that excites the right-hander more than anything
else, and he steps up his game the moment he detects any slight, deliberate or
not.
Naturally, Kohli and Rohit are not here to stay, so
now is as good a time as any for players like Yashavi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill,
Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul to show that they are willing to step up and take on
new challenges. However, how does one, or several, cover a void in Test cricket
comparable to that of Virat Kohli?