'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Team India will be without their talisman, Virat Kohli, in the opening two Tests of the highly anticipated five-match series against England. The BCCI announced that the 35-year-old opted out of the Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam outings, citing personal reasons on Monday.
India have been in red-hot Test form at home by being unbeaten in their last 16 bilateral series since suffering a 1-2 defeat to England in 2012-13. They are coming off an impressive 1-1 drawn series in South Africa.
While England hold the overall lead in Tests at 50-31, India have decimated them in the previous two series at home by 4-0 and 3-1 margins in 2016-17 and 2020-21, respectively.
Meanwhile, England are yet to lose a Test series in the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum era, starting in mid-2022. Their last red-ball assignment was the home Ashes, where they came from a 0-2 deficit to level the series 2-2.
Nevertheless, they face the daunting task of overhauling the Indian juggernaut in their backyard.
As for Team India, losing Kohli and his 8,848 Test runs in the first two games will be no mean feat to replace. Yet, they should be unperturbed for several reasons, not least their incredible dominance in the five-day format at home.
On that note, let us look at three reasons India needn't worry about Virat Kohli's absence for the first two England Tests.
#1 Virat Kohli's likely replacement Shreyas Iyer is equally adept against spin
Virat Kohli's likely replacement, Shreyas Iyer, has showcased his ability to navigate and eventually dominate spinners in spin-friendly conditions in Tests.
Despite playing only 12 red-ball matches for India, the 29-year-old has an outstanding first-class average of over 50, playing on turning pitches at home. Iyer has translated that into performances at the international level, especially in Asian conditions.
Despite playing most of his red-ball games in conditions suited for spinners, the Mumbai-born cricketer averages an impressive 48.61 on the Asian subcontinent. Iyer scored a magnificent 105 and 65 on his Test debut against New Zealand in Kanpur in 2021.
He followed that with other consistent performances before his stellar series in Bangladesh. After scoring a defiant 86 off 192 balls in the first Test, Iyer produced match-winning knocks on a treacherous Mirpur track in the second game.
In a low-scoring encounter, the right-handed batter scored a pivotal 87 to propel India into the lead. Iyer followed that with a resilient 29* in the final innings to help India pull off a miraculous win from 74/7 while chasing 145.
Despite not scoring too many runs in the two Tests he batted against Australia at home last year, Iyer never looked troubled by spin and played a couple of vital game-turning cameos.
#2 Kohli hasn't set the house on fire against spin in recent Tests
While Virat Kohli's overall Test record and prowess in home conditions speak for themselves, his recent performances in turning conditions have been below par.
Taking away his 186 on a docile Ahmedabad track in the final Test against Australia last year, the 35-year-old endured a mediocre series. Kohli was constantly troubled by newcomer Todd Murphy and veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon, averaging only 22 in five innings for the rest of the series.
The numbers were even worse in the away series against Bangladesh before the Australia Tests. Kohli scored only 45 runs in two Tests at an average of 15 with a highest score of 24 despite India's 2-0 series win.
He even struggled against his arguably favorite opponent, Sri Lanka, in the 2022 home series, averaging only 27 in two games. Even in the last series between India and England at home, Kohli averaged only 28.66 in four games with no three-figure scores.
While the value of his presence and experience is undeniable, Kohli's absence might not be as colossal a miss as it used to be at home, considering his recent struggles with spin.
#3 Lack of experience among English spinners and India's enviable batting depth should nullify Kohli's absence
Despite Virat Kohli's absence potentially opening up a bit of inexperience in the middle-order, the hosts will bank on the lack of experience among the English spinners to remain unscathed.
With 35 Tests under his belt, left-arm spinner Jack Leach is the visitors' most experienced spinner, and even he has played only four red-ball games in India. The other three spinners, Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed, and Shoaib Bashir, have played only a solitary Test between them.
Neither of the trio has even 25 first-class games under their belt, making their chances of capitalizing on the Indian middle order slim.
On top of that, India could have formidable batting up to Axar Patel at No.9. This incredible depth helped India navigate disaster several times in their last home series against Australia last year. Axar scored 264 runs at an average of 88 in that series despite the pitches being rank turners with batters from both sides struggling.
Between an inexperienced English spin attack and an Indian batting lineup boasting admirable depth, Rohit Sharma and company should continue their home dominance even without Kohli.
