Aakash Chopra has remarked that Virat Kohli’s decision to sit out the entire IND vs ENG Test against England could potentially deprive fans of witnessing a final showdown between him and James Anderson.
The Indian squad for the last three Tests against England was announced on Saturday. Kohli, who missed the initial two Tests due to personal reasons, has chosen to skip the remaining three matches of the five-game series as well.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Chopra cautioned against speculating about Kohli’s absence while acknowledging that it might have dashed hopes for a climactic clash between him and Anderson. He stated, “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.”
Chopra surmised that compelling reasons must have compelled Kohli to miss the entire series, emphasizing Kohli’s unwavering commitment to Test cricket. He added, “I am sure there are pressing reasons, or else Kohli hasn’t missed an entire series like this in his entire career.” Evidently this is the first time Virat Kohli has missed a series in 13 years of his Test career.
Regarding the potential face-off between Kohli and Anderson in India, Chopra opined that it wouldn’t have been a balanced contest due to the conditions favoring Kohli’s batting style. He noted, “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.”
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