Kevin Pietersen Longing For The Comeback Of Virat Kohli, Says The "Series Is Missing Him"

Former England batter Kevin Pietersen who scored a fantastic 186 during the 2nd Test of a 4-match series back in 2012 when an Alastair Cook-led team became the last foreign side to beat India at their home soil in a red-ball series, feels that everyone from fans to players are missing the sight of batting stalwart Virat Kohli who opted out of the first two Tests.

Virat Kohli reasoned some personal issues with captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid before the BCCI took to its official website to confirm Kohli’s absence from the Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam Test.

The apex board had mentioned that the former captain would be up for selection from the 3rd Test onwards and also asked media outlets to stay away from asking questions regarding the matter.

“Virat has spoken to Captain Rohit Sharma, the team management and the selectors and has emphasized that while representing the country has always been his top priority, certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention,” BCCI Honourable Secretary Jay Shah wrote.

“The BCCI requests the media and fans to respect Virat Kohli’s privacy during this time and refrain from speculating on the nature of his personal reasons. The focus should remain on supporting the Indian cricket team as they embark on the upcoming challenges in the Test series,” Jay Shah concluded.

If the absence of Virat Kohli was felt during India’s 28-run loss in the 1st Test at Hyderabad, his absence did not cost India that much in the 2nd game. Masterclass knocks from Yashasvi Jaiswal in the 1st innings and Shubman Gill in the 2nd, helped the hosts in keeping the visitors from doubling their lead in the series.

The 106-run loss yesterday renewed hopes of staging yet another splendid comeback after going down dramatically in the 1st Test. The Anthony De Mello trophy series has pretty much started off the way it did during England’s previous tour of India where they went on to lose 3 Tests after winning the first one and went back home with a 3-1 drubbing.

India are expected to get stronger with the addition of Virat Kohli into the batting line-up and that might see either KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer or KS Bharat, possibly getting dropped from the squad entirely. Kohli will take up his usual number 4 spot and it will be interesting to see who fills up the number 5 slot.

“The Series Is Missing Him”, Kevin Pietersen Opines On Virat Kohli’s Greatness

Kevin Pietersen said – "They are trying hard to get Virat Kohli to comeback because the series is missing him". (Told to official broadcaster) pic.twitter.com/phJfHI54L1

— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) February 6, 2024

43-year-old Kevin Pietersen who is working with Jio Cinema in their coverage of this series, told the panellists that the series is badly missing the greatness of Virat Kohli. He also claimed that BCCI are trying hard to get him back but sources closer to the apex board had confirmed last week that there is no update regarding his return.

“They are trying hard to get Kohli to come back because the series is missing him,” Pietersen told Jio Cinema.

Meanwhile, the 3rd Test of the series will head over to Western India as Rajkot’s Saurashtra Cricket Ground gets ready for yet another Test match classic.