Stuart Broad believes that England has a chance to win the Test series against India in the absence of Virat Kohli

The two teams will now meet in the third match of the five-match series in Rajkot from 15 February, with the score level at 1-1.

Former fast bowler Stuart Broad believes that the current Test series between India and England is the most evenly-matched contest he has seen between the two teams. However, he thinks that the visitors have a strong chance of winning due to the absence of Virat Kohli's fire, passion, and competitiveness from the Indian team.

Talking to PTI on the sidelines of the just-concluded SA20, where he was commentating, Broad said while Kohli's absence for personal reasons was a disappointment, the matches so far had been compelling.

The five-match series is currently level at 1-1 and the two teams will meet in Rajkot for the third match, starting on 15 February.

It has been a close first two matches and this is one of the most exciting Test series between India and England. It is the most evenly contested series.

India was the victors in the last Test but England's style of play, 'bazball', is very effective in India. It is a great opportunity for the England team without Virat.

Broad believes Kohli's break has also opened a window of opportunity for India's youngsters to make their mark.

The battle between Virat and the England bowlers used to be great. The battles between James Anderson and Kohli are quite famous. It is unfortunate for the series and the sport that Virat will be absent.

Virat adds quality to any competition. He is a wonderful player who brings fire, passion, competitiveness and a huge following to the sport. However, personal matters are always a priority over cricket matters.

The bowler who snared 604 wickets in 167 Tests pointed out that in the last match, Yashaswi Jaiswal scored a brilliant double century.

Broad expressed his satisfaction with James Anderson's performance on India's unresponsive tracks. Anderson replaced Mark Wood in the second Test at Visakhapatnam and picked up five wickets.

Broad noted that seamers played an important role in the second Test, with Jasprit Bumrah giving a match-winning performance and Anderson bowling exceptionally well on those pitches.

Broad speculated that the seamers had more success due to the moisture in the morning.

Regarding the 41-year-old Anderson, who has claimed 179 Test wickets against India in 68 tests, he is nearing 700 wickets and is known for taking wickets in a winning cause.

Broad and Anderson were an intimidating pace partnership at the peak of their prowess. However, it is not believed that they were the last great Test fast-bowling pair in the era of T20 cricket. The consensus is that it would be difficult for another pair of pacers to take more than 1200 wickets between them.

Broad's view is that they are not the last of the great bowling partnerships in Test cricket. Jasprit Bumrah is, in his opinion, an outstanding Test bowler. Because of the longevity of Broad and Anderson’s careers, Broad doesn't think their partnership will be overtaken in terms of wickets taken.

When Broad was growing up, he saw fast bowling partnerships such as Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, Darren Gough and Andy Caddick, just to name a few. He is confident that another partnership will emerge soon.

The former England captain described Test cricket as the pinnacle of the game and suggested creating a window for the format that would allow all nations to play simultaneously.

He also expressed his admiration for the charm and spectacle of Test cricket, while acknowledging the challenges of scheduling amidst the proliferation of T20 leagues and World Cups.  

According to him, there could be a time when all nations play Test Cricket simultaneously, and children discuss the performances of different teams while watching highlights.

Broad also suggested that young fast bowlers should balance their training to increase their career span.

He found running to be crucial for injury prevention and recommended that every bowler should determine what works best for them. Anderson and Broad did a lot of weightlifting, which helped them.

It's very different in Test cricket, and 25 overs are played in a day, whereas in T20 it's four. Players don't need a lot of strength, just balanced training.