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.
Vas Venkatramani
Guest
Agree this is the right call by Virat, especially in context of the memory of his father. Good of the BCCI to accommodate this too. My only question is whether such a gesture could be extended to other players in the same position, without compromising on their spot later? In the likelihood it can't, this demonstrates the intrinsic value of Kohli to Indian cricket. Only other two cricketers in modern times to afford the status of headline act in Indian cricket are Tendulkar and Dhoni.
Arvin
Guest
Yup, Big Asterisk. Australia missing three of their most prolific contributors. Smith, Warner and Sandpaper!!
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Sure, but it’s not quite the same in terms of how people rate the result if one side is missing the two best batsmen. Same if Kohli is absent. But doesn’t mean it’s not a good result whoever wins.
Micko
Roar Rookie
But it's irrelevant. It's not India's concern who Australia selects or not.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Only takes once … on behalf of the Australian cricket team I would like to thank Mrs Kohli for putting on that sexy looking outfit back in March to put that twinkle in Virat’s eye … we the fans who want Australia to win are most eternally grateful.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
Pucovski going back to back doubles... You can't ignore that now. He'll play the first test and I think we will see Cam Green debut at some point during the series as well.. perhaps Melbourne or Sydney.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
Yes but without our two best bats... They won it fair and square but everyone will ask the question what might have happened if Smith and Warner were there? Same as how if Australia win this everyone will ask what might have been if Kohli had of stayed..
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Warner has commented that he likes opening with Burns, so I think Burns would have had the chance to hold his spot. But starting the Shield season with scores of 7, 29, 0, 10, 11, especially when you have someone like Pucovski banging down the door with runs, is likely to be enough to end his test career.
Ernest
Guest
Chris I think that the decision to open with Pucovski and Warner has already been made! I'd be very surprised to see Joe Burns even named in the extended test squad, where Khawaja will take his place. I am a Burns fan but he's test career is now over, and he knows it too.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Um, the only team with a "bit of an asterisk" over their results is Australia. India won that series fair and square.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Pucovski not out at stumps on 32. If he pulls off another hundred tomorrow does that make him a walk up start to partner Warner in the first test?
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
Yeah can relate i lost a close family member when I was young and cricket played a massive part in me forgetting about their death whenever I'd watch it
Peter Farrar
Roar Pro
I agree this is the right decision. Kohli would want to be there for his wife and welcome his newborn. He would argue he is only one person and the team should have the capability to win without him. But enormous shoes to fill. It must even be difficult to return to play the remainder of the series for him without being distracted by his responsibilities as a dad. Although if anyone could do that, it would be him.
Rellum
Roar Guru
That is a different situation, cricket might have helped him take his mind off his loss where a baby will need him to be there.
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
Kohli played a FC game for Delhi on the day of his father's funeral. Part of me thinks he probably regrets that even more now and in hindsight, it made him realise not to prioritise cricket over family ever again. Mind you he missed an ODI and T20 series vs Sri Lanka when he got married to Anushka Sharma so him missing the majority of this series doesn't surprise me.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Arrrggghhh, Monty Burns out nicking again!, Come on QLD.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
It’s a pity. Just as there’s a bit of an asterisk over India’s triumph last time due to the absence of Smith and Warner, it won’t be quite so sweet revenge if Kohli is absent, regardless of whether he was a big contributor last time - he has shown he has potential to be a huge contributor on Aus soil, eg 2014-15. Doesn’t mean we won’t have some great cricket, or that beating India won’t be a big challenge.
Nick
Roar Guru
Kohli was a busy boy during the first lockdown in March/April it seems.... Congrats to him.
Paul
Roar Guru
It's such as shame we ( the general public) often have different expectations for sportsmen compared to workmates, when it comes to taking time off work because we're about to become fathers. It's hard to think of anything more important, as far as I'm concerned and clearly Kohli feels likewise.
Tempo
Roar Rookie
Very true. It's a shame Kohli wont be here for most of the tests, but I would 100% have made the same decision standing in his shoes. To add to your point Paul - Kohli played a relatively minor role in India's win 2 years ago. He scored most of his runs in the test India lost, and averaged less than 30 in the remaining tests (though did make an important 80-odd in Melbourne). So, India can certainly still win without him, particularly if some of their young talent stands up. Still a massive blow to lose such a quality test batsman who is proven in Australian conditions though.