“His private life has to come first” – Nasser Hussain reacts to reports that Virat Kohli will miss next two Tests against England in Rajkot and Ranchi

Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes that Virat Kohli’s absence from the upcoming two Tests will be a huge loss for India in the five-match Test series.

The comments came amid reports that Kohli will miss out on the third and fourth Tests in Rajkot and Ranchi as well, after missing the first two Tests due to personal reasons.

Hussain, however, has backed Kohli to prioritise his private life after playing continuous cricket for more than 15 years. Meanwhile, he backed star wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul to return to the side and deliver with the bat for the hosts in Kohli's absence.

On Wednesday (February 7), Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports:

"But Kohli and his family and his private life has to come first, so it’s a blow for India, but as we’ve seen, they’ve got a lot of very good young batters."

"But KL Rahul, who was injured for the last game, played brilliantly in the last few months for India and in all formats. I think he’ll come back in, so he’ll add to their batting.”

Hussain continued:

“It will be a blow for India, blow for the series, blow for World Cricket. It’s gonna be a special series, already has been the first two games have been fascinating, and make no mistake, Virat Kohli is one of the greatest batters to ever play the game and any series, and any side would miss someone of that stature.”

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“It means we don’t have the mouth-watering possibility of an Anderson and Kohli contest” – Nasser Hussain on Virat Kohli’s absence from next two Tests

Nasser Hussain further pointed out that fans will miss out on the riveting battle between Virat Kohli and England’s ace pacer, James Anderson. The latter has dismissed Kohli seven times in Tests. Kohli, though, has scored 305 runs at an average of 43.6 against the speedster.

Hussain said:

“First things first, the game needs to look after the likes of Virat Kohli as well. He’s been playing international cricket for more than 15 years now, and if he needs a break to be away with family, just some time away from the game, absolutely we wish Virat Kohli all the best."

He added:

"It means we don’t have the mouth-watering possibility of an Anderson and Kohli contest like we’ve seen over the years. So, be it.”

The 55-year-old further pointed out that several Indian batters, including captain Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, and KS Bharat, have fallen prey to soft dismissals in the first two Tests against England. Hussain added that Kohli never throws his wicket away. The cricketer-turned-commentator said:

“There have been some soft dismissals in that Indian batting lineup, and it has left him vulnerable at times. One thing Kohli is with batting is ruthless. He doesn’t do soft dismissals. He’s driven by getting runs and winning games. So, they’ll miss that. Any side would miss the class of Virat Kohli.”

Kohli averages 42.36 against England, having scored 1991 runs in 28 Tests, with the help of five tons and nine half-centuries.