New Delhi, Feb 14 (IANS): England captain Ben Stokes has chosen to tread carefully around Virat Kohli’s absence from the Test series, emphasizing the importance of respecting Kohli's privacy during this challenging time.

Kohli had initially opted out of just the first two Tests citing personal reasons. However, the BCCI has respected his eventual decision to remain unavailable for the entire series.

In a video shared by the ECB on their website, Stokes addressed the question of Kohli's absence with tact and sensitivity. Refraining from labeling the situation as either advantageous or disadvantageous for England, Stokes highlighted the broader impact on cricket when a prominent figure like Kohli is unable to participate due to personal reasons.

"I don't mean to say anything disrespectful to the question. I think when it's situations like these, when someone is missing a big series and a lot of cricket due to personal reasons, which we are not sure of, we shouldn't label that as positive or negative to our team,” said Stokes to ECB.

"We should just let it be. It's a broader loss for cricket. I wish Virat whatever he is going through all the best, I wish he comes through it. Virat Kohli, on a cricket field, is something that everybody wants to see,” he added.

Indeed, the void left by Kohli's absence has been palpable in the Indian batting lineup, evident in their struggle to assert dominance in the first two Tests. With the additional blow of KL Rahul's absence in the upcoming Test, India finds itself grappling with an inexperienced batting order, where the burden of responsibility falls heavily on the shoulders of younger talents like Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal.