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Indian captain Virat Kohli will miss the final three Tests of the upcoming series against Australia, with the star batsman to fly home for the birth of his first child.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India released a statement confirming that Kohli, ranked second only to Australian star Steve Smith in the ICC Test batting rankings, will be granted leave after the first Test of the series at the Adelaide Oval, which is scheduled to begin on December 17.
His absence will likely mean that vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will take the reins for the final three matches of the series, to be played in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane respectively.
However, the 32-year old will play the entirety of the ODI and T20I series preceding the Tests, starting on November 27.
“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 statement read.
“The BCCI has granted paternity leave to the Indian captain.”
Kohli revealed in August that he and his wife, Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma, were expecting their first child.
The news is a hammer blow to India’s hopes of retaining the Border-Gavaskar series, with the captain having plundered six centuries down under at a whopping average of 55.39.
He also led India to their first ever series win in Australia in the 2018/19 summer.
The absence of arguably cricket’s top drawcard comes as a major disappointment to Cricket Australia and broadcasters Seven and Foxtel, as the sport aims to recover from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The news isn’t all bad for India, though – fellow high-profile batsman Rohit Sharma is in the frame for a late call-up to the Test squad, having recovered from a hamstring injury suffered during the Indian Premier League.
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