Former England captain Nasser Hussain emphasised that the absence of India's batter Virat Kohli in the first two Tests gives a ray of hope for the underdog England team. A five-match Test series between India and England is scheduled to take place on Indian soil.
The opening game of the series is slated for January 25 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The star batter, Kohli, decided to withdraw from the first two matches, citing personal reasons.
In a conversation with the Daily Mail, Hussain said that there are priorities beyond cricket, referring to the decisions of both Kohli and Harry Brook to step back from the series. Kohli will be absent from the initial two Tests, while Brook has chosen to opt out of the entire series.
"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," said Hussain.
He noted that England see a flicker of optimism in Kohli's absence, categorising the visiting team as underdogs. England's objective is to clinch their initial Test series triumph in India since the 2012/13 season.
"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," Hussain added.
According to the BCCI, India are set to announce a replacement for Kohli shortly as they gear up to take on England without one of their key batter. Kohli was a part of the Indian Test squad that secured a 1-1 draw against South Africa in a two-match Test series.
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