"I wish Virat..." - Ben Stokes sends message to Virat Kohli as India great withdraws from England Tests

Ben Stokes and Co. hope to win the third Test match against India and gain a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. The English team showcased brilliant performance in the first two matches and won the first Test match by 28 runs. However, England lost the second Test match by 106 runs and were put back by the Indian team.

India would be walking into the third Test match in the absence of key batsmen Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. Kohli will be missing the Rajkot Test due to personal reasons whereas Rahul has a niggle in his thigh due to which he will be missing the game.

England captain Ben Stokes while speaking in the press conference stated that the absence of Virat Kohli is the best chance to win the third Test match. However, he added that the absence of Virat Kohli shouldn’t be labeled as positive or negative.

Ben Stokes on Virat Kohli’s absence from England Tests

“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.

“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.

Ben Stokes has been brilliant with his captaincy so far in the first two Tests against India. Stokes has rotated his bowlers well and performed decently as a batsman. The English captain has also been great at setting up the field.

As per rumors, Virat Kohli is expected to become a father for the second time due to which he has opted out of the series. His presence in the Indian Premier League is also under darkness. KL Rahul on the other hand, was included in the squad for the last three Tests and was subjected to fitness. Rahul also uploaded a video of him practicing in the nets, however, BCCI’s medical team felt he was not fit to play the third Test due to which he was ruled out.

India need to address a lot of problems ahead of the third Test match. The Indian middle order is the management’s biggest headache ahead of the Rajkot Test match and they would like to solve the issue as soon as possible.

Sarfaraz Khan can be brought into the team in place of Shreyas Iyer who was excluded from the squad for the last three Tests due to his poor form. KS Bharat has also not been able to meet the expectations of the team. Bharat has displayed a flop show with the bat so far and is yet to score a half-century in his Test career, he has been making a lot of fumbles behind the wickets as well.

The Indian management may bring in Dhruv Jurel into the side in place of KS Bharat in Rajkot. England also dealt with a major blow ahead of the 3rd Test match as they lost left-arm spinner Jack Leach due to an injury. However, the pitches in the first two games have not helped the spinners as they should have had in India but it will be great to see England’s bowling lineup in Rajkot.