Ben Stokes asserts that the absence of Virat Kohli should not be categorized as either advantageous or disadvantageous for England, despite the widespread desire to witness his performance.

The ongoing Test series between India and England has provided spectators with numerous memorable moments. After the completion of two Test matches, it was anticipated that Virat Kohli would rejoin the Indian XI.

Nevertheless, the 35-year-old individual, who was absent for the initial two matches owing to personal circumstances, is now expected to be absent for the entire series. Ben Stokes, the captain of the England cricket team, has provided insights into Kohli’s circumstances leading up to the third Test in Rajkot. Stokes expressed his opinion that Kohli’s absence should not be interpreted as either positive or negative. He expressed his hope that Kohli successfully overcomes any challenges he is now facing.

“I want to clarify that I am not intending to be disrespectful towards the question. In my opinion, when faced with circumstances like these, where an individual is absent from important cricket matches for undisclosed personal reasons, it is inappropriate to categorize the impact on our team as either positive or negative,” stated Stokes in a video disseminated by the ECB.

“We should refrain from intervening. It is a significant setback for the sport of cricket as a whole. I extend my best wishes to Virat, hoping that he successfully overcomes his current challenges. The presence of Virat Kohli on a cricket field is highly anticipated and desired by everyone,” he further expressed.

The Indian squad has strongly felt the impact of Kohli’s absence, particularly in the batting department. The team’s young batting lineup has been unable to surpass England’s batting performance in the first two Tests.

In addition to Kohli, wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul will be absent from the upcoming Test match. The home team suffered a defeat in the first Test of the series against England in Hyderabad, primarily due to the outstanding performance of Ollie Pope.

For the second test, the Indian team arrived well-prepared. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored an impressive double century and Shubman Gill hit a century in the second inning. As a result, India was able to equalize the series and now their goal is to seize the lead in Rajkot.