Former Indian national cricket team pacer Praveen Kumar has shared his direct verdict on star batsman Virat Kohli’s unavailability in the ongoing five-match home test series against the England national cricket team. .
Kohli was initially withdrawn from the first two Tests against England and there were expectations that he would return for the last three matches of the series. However, that did not happen and he took a break during the entire test series.
The batting superstar cited “personal reasons” behind his retirement and the BCCI asked fans not to speculate anything about Virat Kohli. After a few days, AB de Villiers revealed that Kohli had retired from the series to be with his family. He and his wife Anushka Sharma were expecting his second child.
De Villiers later apologized, saying that he had given incorrect information and also said that he did not know the exact reason behind Kohli’s withdrawal. However, the news of the South African great breaking out turned out to be true when Virat Kohli on Tuesday, February 20, announced that he and Anushka were blessed with a baby boy, whom they named Akaay.
Virat Kohli has been playing, acting and serving India continuously – Praveen Kumar
In a conversation with News18 SportsNext, Praveen Kumar was asked to share his opinion on Kohli’s unavailability for the Test series against England. The former pacer responded that Kohli has been continuously serving the Indian national cricket team for the last decade and his absence from a series should not be questioned. Kumar also stated that Kohli’s absence opens up a place in the team and young players can get a chance to perform for the team.
“Virat Kohli has been playing, acting and serving India continuously for the last 15-16 years. If you have taken a break, there should be no question about it. The youngsters are getting opportunities in his absence and should perform well,” he stated.
Praveen Kumar said, “Virat Kohli has been playing, acting and rendering his service to India continuously for the last 15-16 years. If he has taken a break, then there should be no doubt about it.” (Noticia18) pic.twitter.com/UDoxC73yJf
– CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) March 2, 2024
In the absence of Virat Kohli, young opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal has taken a big step forward and has delivered consistent and stupendous performances. He is currently the highest run-getter in the series as he has scored 655 runs in 8 innings at an astonishing average of 93.57. He has also smashed two double centuries in the series.
Talking about the IND vs ENG Tests, Rohit Sharma & Co. faced a shocking 28-run defeat in the first match in Hyderabad. However, they bounced back strongly and won the next three matches in a row to register another home Test series victory.
The Indian national cricket team defeated the Three Lions by 106 runs, 434 runs and 5 wickets in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Tests in Visakhapatnam, Rajkot and Ranchi. Defeating the Ben Stokes-led team was not as easy as the dominant Indian team made it look. This was the Three Lions’ first defeat in a Test series under the captaincy of Ben Stokes and the coaching of Brendon McCullum.
Meanwhile, the teams will head to Dharamshala for the fifth and final Test, which will be held at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium from March 7.