3 reasons why Virat Kohli's absence for first 2 Tests vs England is a major blow to India
Team India have been dealt a significant blow with star batter Virat Kohli opting out of the first two Tests against England, citing personal reasons.
The BCCI announced the development recently and confirmed that Kohli has communicated the same with skipper Rohit Sharma, the team management, and the selectors. His replacement for the opening two games is expected to be named soon.
India are coming off a drawn 1-1 Test series in South Africa and will battle England in a marquee five-match red-ball series, starting in Hyderabad on January 25. While the hosts have comfortably won the last two home Test series against England, Ben Stokes and company were the last team to secure a series win in India, back in 2012-13.
Furthermore, England still have an overall advantage of 50-31 in Tests against India in 131 encounters.
Kohli missed the opening T20I of India's most recent series against Afghanistan but returned for the subsequent two outings. Meanwhile, England will be playing red-ball cricket for the first time since the Ashes in July last year.
They have been on a remarkable unbeaten streak in Tests since the beginning of the Brendon McCullum-Ben Stokes era in mid-2022, winning four and drawing the other two series.
On that note, here are three reasons why Virat Kohli's absence from the first two Tests against England is a major blow to India.
#1 Virat Kohli boasts a sensational home Test record overall and against England
While Virat Kohli's numbers need no introduction, his record at home further enhances his mettle. The veteran batter has scored 4,144 runs in home Tests at an impressive average of over 60, with 14 centuries in 50 outings.
With an innate ability to master spin-bowling conditions, thanks to his assured footwork, Kohli could have been the ultimate difference-maker between the sides in the series.
His record against England at home further deepens the blow felt in his absence. Kohli has scored over 1,000 runs at an average of 56.38 against the English in Indian conditions, including three centuries in 13 Tests. It includes the five-match Test series against the English side in 2016 when Kohli scored a monumental 636 runs at a Bradman-esque average of 109.16.
Furthermore, the champion batter averages an other-worldly 75.80 in Hyderabad, where the first Test will be played. The average skyrockets to an even better 99.66 in Vishakhapatnam, the venue for the second encounter.
England will almost certainly feel like they dodged a bullet in the absence of Kohli from the opening two Tests.
#2 India's batting lineup will be further devoid of experience
If recent history is anything to go by, pitches for the home series against England could be a trial by spin for batters from both sides.
While high-quality spinners and depth in batting have helped India battle their way out of trouble at home, their batters have struggled against the turning ball in the recent past.
With the Indian Test side transitioning into their next phase, the team management has moved on from the veteran duo of Chetheshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. It accentuated the value of Virat Kohli's experience in holding India's middle-order and overall batting lineup.
For context, should Shreyas Iyer replace Kohli in the playing XI for the opening two Tests, India will field only two batters from their top six with over 20 Tests under their belt.
Shubman Gill is the most experienced of that lot with 20 Tests, while Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and KS Bharat have a combined 21 matches of red-ball experience between them. The number lessens to 16 if India fields debutant Dhurv Jurel as the wicketkeeper ahead of Bharat.
Only Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have over 45 matches of Test experience in the likely top six in the current squad.
It is where the 113-Test experience of Virat Kohli being absent could have a telling effect, especially if India lose skipper Rohit Sharma early in the innings on rank turners.
#3 Virat Kohli has been in remarkable recent form
Virat Kohli's batting form over the last year has been second to none in world cricket, with the legendary batter snapping out of his ordinary run in 2021 and 2022.
The 35-year-old averaged an outstanding 55.91 in Tests last year and scored a crucial 46 in India's lone red-ball game in 2024 against South Africa in Cape Town. On extreme batting conditions, Kohli averaged 43 in the two Tests in South Africa, helping India achieve a 1-1 series draw.
Apart from Tests, the Delhi-born cricketer has been in red-hot form in other formats, evidenced by his record-breaking ODI World Cup last year. Kohli finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer with a single-edition record of 765 runs, including three centuries and six half-centuries in 11 games.
In his last Test outing at home, Kohli scored a memorable 186 against Australia in the final game of the four-match series. With an uncanny knack for converting starts to three-figure scores, India will sorely miss Kohli's match-winning qualities in the opening two Tests as they look for crucial WTC points.