BCCI has just confirmed that Virat Kohli is all set to miss the last three Tests against Australia. Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma are expecting the birth of their first child in early January. The couple had announced the news of Anushka’s pregnancy earlier this year.
Virat Kohli had informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of his decision to return to India at the selection committee meeting to pick the squad for the Australia tour. The Board recently released a statement and have confirmed that the 32-year-old can return home for the arrival of his first child.
The All-India Senior Selection Committee met on Sunday to pick certain replacements after receiving injury reports and updates from the BCCI Medical Team. BCCI released a statement which reads “Mr Virat Kohli – At the selection committee meeting held on October 26th, 2020, Mr Virat Kohli had informed the BCCI about his plans to return to India after the first Test in Adelaide. The BCCI has granted paternity leave to the Indian captain. He will return after the first Test against Australia in Adelaide.” They have also confirmed that Rohit Sharma will be included in the Test Series against Australia despite not being selected initially. Their statement on the same reads “Mr Rohit Sharma – The BCCI Medical Team has been monitoring Rohit Sharma’s fitness and has briefed All-India Senior Selection Committee on the same. In consultation with Mr Sharma, it has been decided to rest him for the ODIs and T20Is in Australia to regain full fitness and he has been included in India’s Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.” This comes as a big blow for India as their skipper and best batsman is all set to miss major chunk of the Test series agaisnt the number one Test team in the world.
India’s tour of Australia begins on November 27 with three ODIs followed by an equal number of T20s. The four-match Test series will begin with a Pink Ball Day/Night match in Adelaide on December 17. The other three matches will be played in Melbourne (Dec 26-30), Sydney (Jan 7-11, 2021) and Brisbane (Jan 15-19).