Much of the talk before and during the ongoing Test series between India and England has revolved around the absence of Virat Kohli from the Indian squad.
When BCCI initially announced their squad for the five-match Test series against England, Kohli was one of the names in the list.
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However, on January 22, BCCI published an official press release where they mentioned that Kohli had withdrawn from the squad for the first two Test due to personal reasons.
Earlier this month, we all found out why the 35-year-old was away from the action as Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma received a special blessing. The celeb couple announced the arrival of their second child, a baby boy who they named Akaay, putting all the speculation to bed.
With Kohli, the senior-most batsman in the team, out of the series, the responsibility fell on the young, raw, unpolished, inexperienced shoulders who made their debut either in this series or not long ago.
On Monday, February 26, India clinched the series against England by winning the fourth Test in Ranchi by five wickets, gaining an unprecedented 3-1 lead.
In this piece, we take a look at three instances when India scripted memorable series win without their talisman.
MORE: Kohli hails youngsters as India clinch series win
Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India, 2017
Australia toured India in early 2017 for a four-match Test series. The first three Tests saw each team win one Test, with one Test ending in a draw.
However, Kohli missed the fourth Test. Ajinkya Rahane, who served as the vice-captain back then, led India to a famous eight-wicket victory to help India clinch the series 2-1.
Another memorable thing about that Test was the debut of Kuldeep Yadav, who picked up 4-68 in his first-ever innings in Test cricket.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, 2020-21
India toured Australia for a highly anticipated four-match Test series in late 2020. The visitors had scripted a famous 2-1 victory under the leadership of Kohli on the previous tour in 2018-19, but many pundits called that a fluke because Australia were without the services of some key figures like David Warner and Steve Smith.
As expected, India suffered a harrowing defeat in the first Test in Adelaide, losing by eight wickets. After earning a 53-run lead, India were skittled out for a humiliating 36 runs.
After the match, Kohli flew back to India and would go on to miss the rest of the series, leaving the captaincy reins in the hands of Rahane.
In the very next Test, the script flipped as India ran out victors in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
The third Test in Sydney ended in a draw, thanks to a 44-over blockathon from the injured duo of Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin on Day 5 at the SCG.
The fourth Test was set to be played at Australia's fortress, the Gabba in Brisbane. The hosts had not lost a Test at that venue in over 30 years, and they were expected to continue that streak to win the series.
However, Rishabh Pant's heroics, coupled with brave and gutsy contributions from some Test cricket newbies like Thangasaru Natrajan, Washington Sundar, and Shardul Thakur, helped India clinch a historic win and the series, breaching the famous fortress of Gabba and breaking the Australian egos.
Anthony de Mello Trophy, 2024
India were set to miss Kohli for the entire series.
After losing the first Test in Hyderabad, where chinks in India's batting armour were exposed, the noise in the media regarding India's inability to win at home without Kohli grew louder and louder.
However, the hosts bounced back in style in Vizag to level the series. They followed it up with another resounding win in Rajkot, with debutant Sarfaraz Khan scoring twin half-centuries and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal grabbing back-to-back double tons.
In the fourth Test, it was Dhruv Jurel, the wicketkeeper who made his debut in Rajkot, who emerged as the Messiah, scoring 90 runs in the first innings to help India end their innings closer to England's first innings total. In the second innings, after India had lost a flurry of wickets in quick time, the 23-year-old stitched an unbeaten 72-run partnership with Shubman Gill for the 6th wicket to help India win the match as well as the series.
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