Virat Kohli to miss India’s first two Tests vs England for personal reasons
Al Jazeera
Kohli will miss the Tests in Hyderabad and Rajkot after missing the first T20 against Afghanistan for the same reason.
India batter Virat Kohli will miss his side’s first two Test matches against England due to personal reasons, the country’s cricket board confirms.
The former national team captain missed the opening game of the recent T20 series with Afghanistan, citing the same reason, but returned for the second and third matches.
Kohli, 35, has been a regular fixture for India’s Test side, and the last time he missed a game was in January 2022 when he was ruled out of the second match of the series against South Africa in Johannesburg because of an injury.
The five-match series against England begins in Hyderabad on Thursday while the third Test starts on February 15 in Rajkot.
“Virat has spoken to captain Rohit Sharma, the team management and the selectors and has emphasised that while representing the country has always been his top priority, certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement on Monday.
