Virat Kohli’s Absence Won’t Make Australian Win Easier: Nathan Lyon

Nov 12, 2020 at 6:57 PM

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Virat Kohli’s Absence Won’t Make Australian Win Easier: Nathan Lyon

Nathan Lyon, Australian off-spinner has made it clear that the absence of regular Indian skipper Virat Kohli from the last three matches of the upcoming Test series will not make it any easier for the Australian side to defeat the Indian team.

He reckons that the Australian team still has to do plenty of work to combat the Indian side that will tour their nation. Last time India toured Australia, they won 4 match maiden test series in Australia by 2-1. But Steve Smith and David Warner were missing as Cheteshwar Pujara scored 521 runs to see India’s first test win in Australian soil.

Nathan Lyon
Nathan Lyon. Image Credit: Getty Images.

Nathan Lyon Reckons It’s Still Massive Challenge For Australia Despite Virat Kohli’s Absence In Last 3 Tests

Nathan Lyon was speaking to Fox Cricket when he commented on the threat that India possesses even in the absence of its skipper and batting mainstay, Virat Kohli.

He said: “Just because Virat’s not here doesn’t mean we get to hold the trophy up […] Look at Pujara, Rahane, and they have also got a couple of young guys coming in. It’s still going to be a massive challenge for us […] We’ve still got a lot of work to do, a lot of homework to do.”

Virat Kohli And Cheteshwar Pujara
Virat Kohli And Cheteshwar Pujara. Photo Credit: BCCI

Virat Kohli will travel back to India after the conclusion of the first Test at Adelaide and will not be available for the remainder of the series. The BCCI has granted him paternity leave as he awaits the birth of his first child.

The first match will be a day-night encounter with pink balls starting from December 17 after 3 ODIs and as many T20Is. Virat Kohli who averages more than 50 in each format has scored 7240 runs in 86 tests from 2011 with 27 hundreds. He is 6th highest run-scorer in Tests behind Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag.

But Cheteshwar Pujara has 5840 runs too averaging 48.66 and Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has 4203 runs averaging 42.88. The former has played 77 Tests while the latter has played 65 Tests.

Nathan Lyon: Virat Kohli Is The Best Player In The World Along With Steve Smith And Marnus Labuschagne

Nathan Lyon lauded Virat Kohli, stating that he is the best player in the world along with his Australian teammates’ batsmen Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. He went on to express disappointment at the absence of Virat Kohli in the last 3 matches and said that he loves playing against the best players in the world.

Steve Smith and David Warner’s return will boost Australia as each batsman has scored in excess of 7200 runs. While David Warner averages an excellent 48.94 with the bat, Steven Smith averages a staggering 62.84. Among them, combined they have 50 centuries. 26-year Marnus Labuschagne also averages 63.43 in 14 Tests.

Marnus Labuschagne
Marnus Labuschagne. Photo Credit: Getty Images.

“I believe he is the best player in the world along with Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. It’s disappointing for the series. You want to play against the best players in the world.”

Nathan Lyon had picked up 21 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls, during India’s last tour of Australia. He has picked up 390 scalps in 96 Test matches. The Test series will start with a day-night encounter at Adelaide on 17 December, which will be followed by Test matches at Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.

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