Michael Atherton: "I wish [Virat Kohli] was playing and I'm sorry he's not, even though it does make it a lot easier for England"; follow the first Test between India and England in Hyderabad with live blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms from 4am Thursday
Wednesday 24 January 2024 23:16, UK
Ahead of the opening Test between India and England, Michael Atherton, appearing on the latest Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, takes a closer look at the visitors' bold team selection, the absence of India star Virat Kohli and the latest - and quite possibly biggest - challenge yet to 'Bazball'...
Cricket always throws lots of news ahead of a Test match - particularly a big one between India and England - but I've not known quite as much happen before as this week.
Firstly Harry Brook withdrew, a big blow for England, and then we had the news that Virat Kohli is to miss the first two Tests - both out for undisclosed personal reasons. We obviously wish them both, and their families, all the best.
There's also the saga with Shoaib Bashir and his visa, and then England announcing a remarkable team for the first Test - with just the one specialist seamer and three spinners... four, counting Joe Root.
With Kohli, I've kind of likened his absence to Tiger Woods missing a golf major - just because of how big he is here.
Supporters in India are often drawn to their superstars and, although he is no longer captain, Kohli is still by far and away the biggest star in the game.
I think the series is diminished by his absence. I find him a fascinating batter to watch, a fascinating cricketer in general - even when just in the field and not particularly contributing. He buzzes around with so much energy, he's a very magnetic, charismatic cricketer.
I don't look at these things through English eyes now. 20 years or so ago, when I was still playing, I'd have thought: "Thank goodness for that, we don't have to bowl at Kohli."
I look at the bigger picture now. I wish he was playing and I'm sorry he's not, even though it does make it a lot easier for England.
If you look at that Indian batting line-up, it's not like the days of 'The Fab Five' of [Virender] Sehwag, [Sourav] Ganguly, [Rahul] Dravid, [Sachin] Tendulkar, [VVS] Laxman.
Without Kohli, you feel there's two or three players there who have not yet absolutely cracked Test cricket, whether that be through inexperience or, in Shubman Gill's case, just because it hasn't quite happened for them yet.
From England's perspective, there's a few chinks in the armour they can maybe prise open.
As for England's team for the first Test, it's an amazing team. A very 'Bazball' team, isn't it?
There's going to be a lot on those spinners: Tom Hartley, a debut cap. England think he's tall and fast, a sort of Axar Patel equivalent. We shall see. He is very inexperienced in first-class cricket, let alone international cricket.
"There's Rehan Ahmed, who had that startling Test debut in Karachi a year ago, and Jack Leach, who hasn't really bowled much since June. I saw him yesterday; he's looking very trim, he's very fit, but, as you know, there's a big difference between physical fitness and bowling fitness.
Is it the right team? The proof will be what comes out of the Test. All you'd say is, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes are very good at looking at the conditions, ignoring history and the history of England teams, and saying 'this is what we need to do here'.
Whether that is scoring at six an over in Pakistan, to give us enough time to win the game there, or picking a very spin-dominant team. This is what they feel can win in the conditions. They're not afraid of taking a risk.
I was really looking forward to seeing Brook play. He's not as big a name as Kohli but, I reckon after Stokes, Root and Leach, he's probably the one England wouldn't have wanted to lose more than anybody else.
He obviously burst onto the scene last year, did brilliantly in Pakistan, though the pitches are very different here, much more spin friendly - in Pakistan, they're harder, flatter surfaces.
Brook hasn't really cracked it in India yet. I was looking back at his record and he'd played a couple of U19 Tests here, performing modestly - albeit a small sample size from a long time ago.
He had that one innings of note in last year's IPL, a hundred, but this was an opportunity here for him to be challenged over five Tests against an absolutely top-notch attack.
Touring India is very different now to when I toured in 1993, when the challenges were as much off the field as on it.
Those off-field challenges - travel, illness etc - don't present themselves as much as they used to, I don't think, but the on-field challenge is as tough, if not tougher, than it has ever been.
You look at India's record in the last 10 years; they've had 40 Tests at home, 30 wins, only three losses and seven draws.
It stands as the biggest challenge so far to 'Bazball', but they've jumped most of the hurdles that have come their way.
This is the latest they face, possibly the toughest and certainly the most interesting. I'm really looking forward to it.
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