Australia’s premier spinner Nathan Lyon said the absence of Virat Kohli after the first Test in Australia will be ‘disappointing’, adding that he loves competing against the best in the business. Team India landed in Sydney on Thursday and began their 14-day mandatory quarantine ahead of the limited-overs and the Test series.
Virat Kohli flew to Australia from Dubai but the India captain will only play 1 Test, the opening day-night fixture in Adelaide, apart from the limited-overs series. Kohli will be heading home to be with his wife and Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma for the birth of their child.
“It’s disappointing for the series. You want to play against the best players in the world. I believe he is the best player in the world along with Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. It’s disappointing but they have still got superstars,” Lyon said.
However, the veteran off-spinner believes that India will still be a strong side in the last 3 Tests and Australia cannot be complacent.
Notably, India defeated Australia to clinch an unprecedented 2-1 Test series victory under Virat Kohli in 2018-19. Australia were without Steve Smith and David Warner the last time but the two stars are back and the hosts will have a slender edge against the touring side.
“Look at Pujara, 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 said.
