Virat Kohli’s absence from the ongoing five-Test series should not be labelled as positive or negative for the touring side. Notably, The BCCI confirmed that Virat Kohli, who missed the first two Tests, will remain unavailable for the remaining three Tests against England due to personal reasons.
Kohli’s absence from the squad is due to personal reasons, which have necessitated his withdrawal from the lineup.
As the Indian team adjusts to this change, potential replacements such as Rajat Patidar or Sarfaraz Khan may be considered to fill the void left by Kohli. The squad also includes other key players like KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, although their participation is uncertain due to injuries.
“I don’t mean to say anything disrespectful to the question. I think when it’s situations like these, when someone is missing a big series and a lot of cricket due to personal reasons, which we are not sure of, we shouldn’t label that as positive or negative to our team,” Stokes said in the video posted by the ECB.
Acknowledging that Kohli’s situation is a loss for cricket as a whole, Stokes conveyed his best wishes to Kohli, recognizing that the presence of a player like him on the cricket field is a spectacle that all enthusiasts yearn to witness.
“We should just let it be. It’s a broader loss for cricket. I wish Virat whatever he is going through all the best, I wish he comes through it. Virat Kohli, on a cricket field, is something that everybody wants to see,” Stokes added.
