Virat Kohli has withdrawn from the first two Tests of the upcoming five-match Test series between India and England. The highly-anticipated Test series is scheduled to be played from Thursday (January 25).
The BCCI announced the news of Virat Kohli’s withdrawal on Monday, just three days before the start of the series. The former India skipper has decided to skip the first two Tests, citing personal reasons. The BCCI also stated that the star batsman has already spoken to captain Rohit Sharma and the team management to convey the message.
“Virat has spoken to Captain Rohit Sharma, the team management and the selectors and has emphasized that while representing the country has always been his top priority, certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention,” read the statement from the BCCI.
The BCCI respects his decision and the Board and team management has extended its support to the star batter and is confident in the abilities of the remaining squad members to step up and deliver commendable performances in the Test series,” it added.
Replacement for Virat Kohli:
The BCCI also urged the media and fans to respect Virat Kohli’s privacy and requested them to refrain from speculating on the nature of his reasons. As far as the replacement is concerned, the board will announce the name soon.
Earlier this month too, Virat Kohli had pulled out of the first T20I of three-match series against Afghanistan, citing personal reasons. However, he returned to action to play the second and third games. Missing Kohli will definitely be a big blow for Team India as they will be really short on experience in the middle-order.
Kohli was India’s highest run-scorer in the two-match Test series against South Africa that ended earlier this month. He and KL Rahul were the only India batters who managed to score more than 100 runs in the series. With the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane not a part of the team and Kohli now out of the games, the onus will be on the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill and Rahul to deliver.
Meanwhile, England will be without Harry Brook for the series. The star batsman has pulled out of the series due to personal reasons as well. He has been replaced by Dan Lawrence in the England squad.
India squad for first two Tests: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan
The post Virat Kohli ditches Rohit Sharma and Team India; BCCI forced to remind people of Virat’s commitment for Cricket appeared first on CricketAddictor.
Virat Kohli has withdrawn from the first two Tests of the upcoming five-match Test series between India and England. The highly-anticipated Test series is scheduled to be played from Thursday (January 25). The BCCI announced the news of Virat Kohli’s withdrawal on Monday, just three days before the start of the series. The former India
The post Virat Kohli ditches Rohit Sharma and Team India; BCCI forced to remind people of Virat’s commitment for Cricket appeared first on CricketAddictor.
