India have a reputation of being one of the best cricket teams in the world, featuring star players such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. However, a pertinent question arises: Can India truly claim to be the best side without Virat Kohli? Observations reveal that in matches where Kohli is absent, India encounters significant challenges, leading to either difficult victories or losses sometimes. Let’s look at the instances where the team struggled in crucial games when Kohli missed the game.
IND vs ENG 1st Test
In the recent IND vs ENG 1st Test, India faced a defeat at their home condition by the English team by 28 runs on Sunday. Before the start of the match, the Indian cricket team got a big blow as Virat took his name back from India’s squad for the first two Test matches. His absences resulted in a middle-order collapse.
IND vs SA 2021-2022
Virat Kohli was ruled out of the second match of the series against South Africa in Johannesburg because of an injury in 2022. India’s middle order was exposed in the match as India posted only 202 in the first innings. Despite, India’s mettle in the second innings where they scored 266 in second innings, India lost the match by seven wickets.
India’s Test records with Virat Kohli
| Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 113 | 59 | 21 | 33 |
India’s Test record without Virat Kohli
| Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 |
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