Virat Kohli missing three Tests: The Indian captain will return to India to be with his wife for the birth of their first child.
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Indian captain Virat Kohli missing three Test matches during the imminent tour of Australia will doubtlessly affect the Indian team in more ways than one.
Kohli, 32, will return to India after the pink-ball Test match in Adelaide (December 17-21) to be with his wife and illustrious actress-producer Anushka Sharma for the birth of their first child in early January.
Well, well…this is huge news. Kohli to return after the 1st test in Australia to be there for the birth of his child. For the modern player, there is more to life than just his profession. But for the Indian team, the tour just got tougher.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 9, 2020
Kohli’s absence will, however, present significant opportunities to whosoever replaces him in the middle-order and Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane.
Nathan Lyon reacts to Virat Kohli missing three Tests in Australia
Speaking in an interview to Fox Sports, Australia spinner Nathan Lyon expressed disappointment at playing in Kohli’s absence. “It’s disappointing for the series. You want to play against the best players in the world,” Lyon told Fox Sports.
That being said, the 32-year old player cautioned his teammates of not taking the other Indian players lightly for it was not Kohli but Cheteshwar Pujara who was awarded the ‘Man of the Series’ in India’s 2-1 victory during their last tour of Australia.
“I believe he [Virat Kohli] is the best player in the world along with Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. It’s disappointing but they have still got superstars. Look at [Cheteshwar] Pujara, [Ajinkya] Rahane, and they have also got a couple of young guys coming in. It’s still going to be a massive challenge for us.
“Just because Virat’s not here doesn’t mean we get to hold the trophy up. We’ve still got a lot of work to do, a lot of homework to do,” Lyon added.
