India face England in the third Test on Thursday as they look to restore normalcy and authority to a five-match series, and they will do so knowing that Virat Kohli will be available for the remaining matches.
England won the series-opening Test by just 28 runs after scoring 420 in the second innings to overcome a 190-run deficit from the first innings.
In the second Test, England again came from behind, but ultimately fell short of the target by 106 runs, conceding 143 runs in the first innings.
Kohli has missed a significant number of India's matches this year due to personal reasons, and later announced he would miss the England tour, missing both matches.
India was also shocked by the news that KL Rahul will miss the second Test due to a thigh injury and will miss the upcoming match in Rajkot.
“India is a strong team even without Kohli''
Former England bowler Angus Fraser was one of the selectors during Kohli's 2016 tour to India, where he finished as the top scorer with 655 and India won the series 4-0.
“It's a big loss, but they were able to cope without him in the first two games,” Fraser told Al Jazeera.
“England played very well in the first two matches, especially in the first innings, but if Kohli had been there they could have lost both Tests.
“He could have been the guy who scored the extra run and won the first Test match.
“India are the favorites and the stronger team in his absence as they have enough players running around to put pressure on England.”
🚨News🚨#TeamIndiaThe squad for the final three Tests against England has been announced.
Details🔽 #INDVENG | @IDFCFIRSTBankhttps://t.co/JPXnyD4WBK
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 10, 2024
Fraser's international career spanned 10 years, from 1989 to 1999, but was interrupted by a hip injury.
The former Middlesex seamer averaged 27 wickets in 46 Tests, taking 177 wickets, and in the second year of his England career, he took six wickets at a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground before leaving the field for Australian fans. received a standing ovation.
The 58-year-old said his win in the first Test of this series was the best he had ever seen and that Ollie Pope's win was “therefore the highest innings played overseas by an England batsman”, adding that this They believe the victory was better than the 3-0 Test series they won in Pakistan in 2022 with a brilliant finish.
“I know everyone was excited about the win in Pakistan last winter, but this win was much more than that,” he said.
“For an inexperienced spin attack to come back from where they were and beat India on a difficult surface was just phenomenal.”
England has produced 'something quite special'
But with three Tests left, Fraser says there are clear problems for England beyond losing Kohli to India.
“They have produced something very special and performed admirably in the second Test. But they will need further runs from the bigger team.” [Joe] root and [Ben] “If I had to play against him, it would be Stokes,” he said.
“They can't afford to concede the first goal that they did.
“What worries me is that they have a week off before the next two Test matches, but the intensity and stress of playing back-to-back high-intensity cricket in such a short period of time, How will that affect the spinners?”
We are all with you, Leechi ❤️
No one is braver than you 💪Jack Leach has been ruled out of the remaining Test series against India.#INDVENG | #englandcricket
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 11, 2024
In that regard, England have been forced into their own absence with Jack Leach ruled out for the remainder of the series with a knee problem.
This leaves England with an inexperienced spin attack of Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir, who took nine wickets in the series opener.
“The first or second experience brings excitement and energy, and I hope that element of intensity and fatigue doesn't come into play for Ahmed and Bashir in the upcoming Test matches,” Fraser continued.
“Leach's departure is a loss, but it will depend on England scoring runs or not and I hope England's spin bowlers in particular don't get tired or fatigued by this whole experience.”
Hats off to the Indian cricket team who won the second Test of the England tour by a stunning margin of 106 runs. @ybj_19and the extraordinary two centuries of @shubmangillAn outstanding century.applause for @Ashwin Ravi99 and @Jaspritbumrah93 Because of their amazing bowling skills… pic.twitter.com/IEEO9Iv7XF
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) February 5, 2024
“Great players grasp the situation”
If England win the series against an Indian team missing their star players, as has already happened in the first two Tests, there will always be questions of 'what if'.
Still, this would be a huge achievement considering the strength and depth India have in all departments, as well as Jasprit Bumrah, the world's number one Test bowler.
However, England's chances are further increased by the absence of a player with an irreplaceable aura.
“We'll not only miss his bat; we'll also miss his presence on the field and the competitiveness he brought to the field,” Frazier concluded.
“There's a feeling that he might do something. Great players like Shane Warne have that.
“They could do something. Great players grasp the situation well. Kohli is not the captain, but he will influence the captaincy and the atmosphere of the tournament that is being played there.
“You can see it in the way he reacts when he takes a wicket. There's a real intensity to the way he plays cricket and that's good for the teams he plays for.”
