Team India is currently hosting England for a 5-match Test series. The Men in Blue have lost the 1st Test by 28 runs. But they missed the service of Virat Kohli in the first Test match and he will be missing the second one as well. The former India captain has been the star batter for the side across formats over the years, his absence has been really felt especially in the second innings when India was chasing as he is known to be the best chaser in world cricket.
The 35-year-old has returned back to his home due to some personal issues. However, the issues have not been officially announced of what has happened. Former England Mike Atherton has dropped a comment about the ‘Modern Master’ as he believes that the former skipper has a huge impact on the side.
The former England batter further stated on Kohli’s influence. He believes that Indian cricket fans often drift more towards superstar players than the team itself, with Kohli being the epitome of the game. He also expressed his best wishes for Kohli and his family, respecting his personal reasons for the break.
I mean I kind of liken it a little bit to maybe: Mike Atherton
Atherton said, “I mean I kind of liken it a little bit to maybe Tiger Woods missing a major back in the day just because of how big Virat Kohli is here I don’t need to tell you how big he is in India in terms of eyeballs on television, column inches in the newspaper. Although he is not captain he is still by far and away the biggest star in the game here.”
“20 years ago when I was playing, if I was playing under you, I would have thought, well, thank goodness for that. We don’t have to bowl at Virat Kohli but I actually look at these things now from a bigger picture. I find him a fascinating batter to watch. I find him an absolutely fascinating cricketer in general to watch. When he is in the field, even when is not contributing, he just buzzes around with so much energy. He is a very magnetic and charismatic cricketer.”
