Ex-India captain says India felt the absence of Virat Kohli in Hyderabad Test

Former Indian women’s cricketer Anjum Chopra believes that Team India missed the services of Virat Kohli in the first Test against England. She said that the batter’s ability to adapt to various conditions was one thing that the team missed.

India were at the receiving end of a 28-run loss in the first Test against England. This shattered all the expectations of fans because it was believed that the Rohit Sharma-led side would dominate the proceedings and might even whitewash.

India started the game on a dominating note as the first two days of the game were all about them. After bundling out England for just 246 runs they took the lead of 190 runs and it seemed that game would be done and dusted after that.

However, after taking early wickets they failed to tackle the challenge of Ollie Pope, who slammed 196 runs and helped the team set the target of 231 runs. It was expected that India would chase the target but it wasn’t the case as they fell short of 28 runs.

This made many realize the importance of Virat Kohli in the team. The batter has pulled out of the first two games due to personal reasons. But it’s fair to say had he been there, things would’ve been different and there was the possibility that the result would’ve been different.

Indian wickets fell like part of the cards in the phase. Debutant Tom Hartley picked up seven wickets and ran through the India batting lineup. They failed to tackle the spin and got out cheaply.

Anjum Chopra believes that India felt the presence of Virat Kohli and his quality with the bat was lacking. She pointed out the team missed the ability to adjust to the condition. Speaking to MyKhel, she explained:

“Undoubtedly, Team India certainly felt the absence of Virat Kohli due to his exceptional skills. Kohli possesses a unique ability to adapt to various conditions, a quality that was notably lacking. 

“To adapt the skill level of Kohli, how he adjusts to condition was lacking from the Indian batters in both innings of the first Test.”

Virat Kohli partnering with KL Rahul could have altered the game – Anjum Chopra

Anjum Chopra further lauded KL Rahul for his brilliant innings in both the innings of the Test match against England. But she feels that had Virat Kohli been there, things would’ve been different. He elaborated:

“KL Rahul showcased his batting prowess in both innings, but having Kohli partnering with him could have altered the game significantly. This also serves as a response to critics questioning Kohli’s place in T20s.”

KL Rahul has been ruled out of the second Test against England due to a quadriceps injury. Apart from him Ravindra Jadeja too has been ruled out. India will be without four of their key players for the second game in Virat Kohli, Rahul, Jadeja, and Mohammed Shami. Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, and Saurabh Kumar have been added to the team for the second game in Vizag from 2nd February.