Cricket fans have taken concern with Virat Kohli‘s decision to skip the remaining Test series against England. Aakash Chopra raised worries that fans may miss out on what might be a tremendous clash between Virat Kohli and James Anderson because of Virat Kohli’s decision to withdraw from the entire test series between India and England.
On Saturday, February 10, the selectors announced the Indian team for the last three Test matches against England. In addition to missing the first two Tests owing to personal reasons, Kohli has chosen not to play in the final three matches of the five-match series.
Chopra further suggested that Kohli might have been willing to forego ODIs and T20Is for a break but always had a fervor for playing Test cricket, even against comparatively weaker opponents.
We won’t get to see the one final battle we could have seen between Jimmy Anderson and Virat Kohli – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra asked everyone not to speculate about the cause behind Kohli’s absence in a video that he posted on his YouTube channel. He did accept, though, that the absence of the modern batting great might have put a halt to goal of a match between him and Anderson in the end, adding (0:01):
“Forget about two matches, Virat Kohli isn’t available for the entire series. No one knows the reason, so you and I are not going to speculate. We won’t get to see the one final battle we could have seen between Jimmy Anderson and Virat Kohli. It’s absolutely fine,”
He has never taken such a long leave, especially in test cricket- Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli
The former opener for India feels that Kohli would have been forced to skip the entire series for convincing reasons or else Kohli hasn’t missed an entire series like this in his entire career.
“I am sure there are pressing reasons, or else Kohli hasn’t missed an entire series like this in his entire career. I remember him missing the Australia series, where he played the first match, the pink-ball Test match where India were all out for 36 and then he wasn’t available for the entire series,” Chopra said.
Chopra observed that Test cricket has always been of the highest priority to the Indian batting mainstay.
“He went home on paternity leave. Before or after that, he has never taken such a long leave, and especially in Test cricket. Virat Kohli is the poster boy of cricket, all three formats, but Test cricket is closest to his heart,” he added.
It wasn’t really a fair contest – Aakash Chopra on the battle between Virat Kohli and James Anderson in India
According to Aakash Chopra, there wouldn’t have been an equal contest in the match between James Anderson and Virat Kohli in India. In 2:50, he said:
“One thing was definitely there, Jimmy Anderson would have been in front of him, one final time maybe, but it’s also true that the No. 4 position at which Kohli comes to bat and the conditions that are there, it wasn’t really a fair contest,”
The former cricket player turned commentator observed that the odds would have been slanted significantly in favor of Kohli. He also noted that under English conditions, the competition would have been more equal.