Indian team captain Virat Kohli will return home after their first Test in Adelaide to be with his wife on the birth of their first child.
The Indian national team will be heading to Australia later this month to take part in a match series composed of three ODIs, three T20Is and four Test matches. As the Men in Blue will prepare for the series after the ongoing IPL, it has been announced that their team captain Virat Kohli would have to leave the team after the first Test match in Adelaide.
Way back in August, Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma announced the actress’ pregnancy which was due in January 2021. After having requested paternity leave, the BCCI granted Kohli’s request to be with his wife on the birth of their first child.
This has also been confirmed by the BCCI who released a statement saying, ‘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’.
The first Test will take place from December 17 to 21. After then, Kohli will have to fly back home. With that, he will have to miss out the rest of the Test series as Australia requires a 14-day quarantine for anyone who steps in their country. That way, Kohli will no longer be able to catch up with the team on the said tour.
As Kohli would have to miss out on the remainder of the Test matches, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane might be the one to lead the team in the absence of their captain. Meanwhile, the team will also see the return of Rohit Sharma who had sustained a hamstring injury in the IPL. Although he will be rested for the limited-overs part of the series, it was announced that he has been added to the Test lineup of the team. To learn more about the formats of cricket, check out Betwala.
READ MORE: A Beginner’s Guide on How to Play Cricket
