When Did India Last Play a Test Match Without the Trio of Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane? IND vs. ENG First Test

Bazball is on its way to India, and Rohit Sharma and company are getting ready to take it on at home. It has never been easy to play England in the longest format of the game, and this time around, the Indian batting lineup will have an extra challenge since Virat Kohli will be out for the first two games.

The management will need to find a suitable replacement for the former Indian captain, who withdrew due to personal reasons. The challenge becomes more difficult without players like Ajnikya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, who have played 188 Tests together and have been the team’s go-to hitters for the last ten years.

Pujara was left off the team for the first two Tests against England, despite having played in his 100th Test in Delhi last year. Rahane wasn’t either. Rahane last played for India at Port of Spain last year, while Pujara was last seen in the World Test Championship (WTC) final in England during India’s disastrous campaign against Australia.

For the first time in twelve years, India will play without Rahane, Pujara, and Kohli in the opening Test match against England. In a three-match series that India hosted the West Indies in 2011, none of them appeared in the first two matches, which were played in Delhi and Kolkata. Interestingly, Pujara did not play for the Indian team. The next year, when India visited New Zealand for a two-match series, he rejoined the squad after having played only two Test matches that year, both of which were in South Africa.

Request from BCCI to media and supporters

The Indian cricket board has asked for privacy from the media and fans, asking them to avoid from speculating about Virat Kohli’s “personal” reasons.

“The BCCI asks that at this period, you respect Virat Kohli’s privacy and avoid from making assumptions about the nature of his personal reasons. Supporting the Indian cricket team as they take on the next obstacles in the Test series should continue to be the major priority, it said.

The BCCI said that Kohli’s comments would be revealed shortly. The squad has started preparing at Hyderabad’s Uppal Stadium, the site of the team’s first Test match against the West Indies since 2018.