According to rumors, star Indian batsman Virat Kohli has taken time off for the rest of the Test series against England. Notably, Virat Kohli withdrew before the first Test for personal reasons, meaning he missed the first two matches in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, respectively.
The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) selection committee is anticipated to announce the team for the final three matches shortly. Interestingly, the third Test will go out in Rajkot’s Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on February 15. Mohammed Siraj may return after missing the Vizag Test, and Jasprit Bumrah may be benched for the upcoming Test.
Furthermore, it was already announced by a BCCI official that Virat Kohli will not be named on the team; rather, he will be added once he verifies his availability. But according to a report from Cricbuzz, Kohli has taken a leave of absence for the entire series and won’t probably play in the remaining home Test matches against England.
Remarkably, Virat Kohli’s close friend and former captain of South Africa, AB de Villiers, disclosed earlier this week that the Indian batsman and his wife, Anushka Sharma, are expecting their second child. The 35-year-old cricket player hasn’t yet talked about it, though.
“I’ve been wanting to check in with you on one item for a while now. How are you doing?’ I wrote to Kohli. “How are you? I just need to be with my family right now,” he replied. Yes, he is expecting his second child; it’s a family affair. You can’t hold Virat responsible for that; sure, we mourn him, but he made the correct choice. De Villiers posted on his YouTube page, “We wish him all the very best for the amazing blessing of being able to become a father for the second time and all the best to Anushka as well.
KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja will return.
Both wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who missed the second Test, are expected to be included in the upcoming team. About their fitness, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) has not yet provided an update. Therefore, any decision in this regard is probably going to be made following the nation’s top academy’s final evaluation.