IND vs AUS | Virat Kohli missing out is disappointing for the series, admits Nathan Lyon

Last year, a visiting Indian side came up with their first-ever win in Australia, a 2-1 series win in their own backyard, with a dominant bowling attack, spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah. However, this year, even before the start of the series, India are dealt with the news of their skipper Virat Kohli missing out from three Tests in the four-match Test series Down Under, on paternity leave. 

While Kohli just scored 282 runs in the last series against Australia, his presence in the Indian unit alongside his captaincy was invaluable. Australian off-spinner, Nathan Lyon, who loves a battle or two, has admitted that the Indian skipper missing out is a huge disappointment for the series. Alongside that, the off-spinner also hailed Kohli as one of the best players in the world, alongside Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. 

“It’s disappointing for the series. You want to play against the best players in the world. I believe he is the best player in the world along with Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. It’s disappointing but they have still got superstars,” Lyon was quoted as saying by Fox Sports, reported Hindustan Times. 

At the same time, the experienced spinner still reckoned that the visiting Indian team would be a massive challenge, with the likes of experienced batsmen in the form of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. He also stated that even without Kohli in the series, Australia have a lot of homework to be done, in order to get the trophy back from the visitors. 

“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. Just because Virat’s not here doesn’t mean we get to hold the trophy up. We’ve still got a lot of work to do, a lot of homework to do,” Lyon added.