End of the great battle between Virat Kohli and James Anderson? Fans believe as Indian batter unavailable for England Test series

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the selection committee announced India's squad for the remaining three matches against England, and surely what fans wanted was to see star batter Virat Kohli back in action. However, the cricketer who opted out of the first two games continues to be unavailable due to personal reasons. Regarding Kohli, the BCCI stated, "Virat Kohli will remain unavailable for selection for the remainder of the series due to personal reasons. The Board fully respects and supports Mr. Kohli's decision."

ALSO READ | Where is Virat Kohli? From being abroad, mom unwell, Anushka Sharma's pregnancy and more - rumours, talks and everything in between

While Kohli's reasons for missing an important series at home are not known, fans are hoping he is okay and are also saddened that they won't get to witness the great battle between him and England pacer James Anderson. The reason is, that the fast bowler is already 41 and could hang up his boots anytime soon, and the same could be said about Kohli, who is 35 years old.

Cricket fans took to social media, particularly X (formerly known as Twitter), to express how the epic battle of words that kept the Test matches fiery and interesting is missing and how they could not witness their last fight at home.

Changes India made for the final three Test games:

Regarding the Indian squad, apart from Kohli, Shreyas Iyer has also been dropped from the squad due to a groin injury. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, who missed the second Test due to injuries, have been included in the squad. However, their participation is subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI medical team.

ALSO READ | IND vs ENG - Jasprit Bumrah to miss 3rd Test, England leave India for Abu Dhabi - all we know so far 

In terms of the Test matches, the two sides have a 10-day gap before they meet in Rajkot for the third Test, which will be played on February 15, 2024. The fourth Test will take place in Ranchi from February 23, 2024, while the fifth and final Test of the series will be played in Dharamsala from March 07, 2024.

India's squad for the last three Test games vs England: 

Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul*, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja*, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep.