Internationally acclaimed India skipper Virat Kohli will only play the first of the four Tests scheduled for the summer against Australia. Kohli will following the Adelaide Test return back home to India for the birth of his and wife Anushka Sharma’s first child, the BCCI confirmed via a statement released on Monday. Kohli and his wife are expecting the birth of their first child towards the end of December/early on in January.
Though the BCCI has confirmed having granted to Kohli paternity leave effective from the second Test onwards, many are questioning whether the India captain will actually be available for the first Test against the Aussies. The two countries are set to play a total of three ODI’s and three T20Is spanning the period late November to mid-December. India’s first Test opposite Australia is scheduled to begin on December 17 – with the second test set to be played on Boxing Day.
Though certainly a show of modern-day sportsmanship and character, Kohli’s anticipated absence from at least three of the four upcoming Tests against Australia poses several challenges for India’s national team. Kohli enjoys an exceptional record from matches played in Australia. From a total of a dozen Tests played on Australian turf, Kohli has managed to set up a stunning average of 55.39 – complete with six centuries and three half-centuries registered on his personal career scoreboard.
Virat Kohli is a reckoned and aggressive character on the pitch – both as batsman and skipper. Expected to captain the India side in Kohli’s absence is current vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane.
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