Virat Kohli to return after first Adelaide TestVirat Kohli to return after first Adelaide Test

When it comes to celebrity couples, it does not get any better than ‘Virushka’ – or Virat Kohli, the Indian Cricket team skipper and Anushka Sharma his Bollywood actress wife. They got married on 11 December 2017 with much fanfare when Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi also attended the wedding in Delhi.

Now, three years later, Anushka is pregnant with their first child and is due to give birth in January 2021.

That has made the Indian cricket team’s tour of Australia this summer – a second priority for the couple.

Taking all that into consideration, the BCCI has announced that the Indian skipper would only play the first Test against Australia this summer so he can return home to be at the birth of his first child.

Kohli will return to India following the first Test of the series in Adelaide (December 17-21) to be with his wife Anushka Sharma.

The BCCI statement does not clarify if Kohli would be able to return to Australia for the latter part of the series once the baby is born.

 

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Perhaps, factoring in the strict bio-security and safety measures in place fo COVID-19, requiring international visitors to complete two weeks of hard quarantine upon their arrival in Australia, they have decided not to push it.

“The BCCI has granted paternity leave to the Indian captain,” a statement read.

“He will return after the first Test against Australia in Adelaide.”

Ajinkya Rahane is expected to fill in as captain in Kohli’s absence.

Virat Kohli and the full Indian squad have landed in Australia on 12 November to complete two weeks of quarantine before they take on Australia in the six limited-overs games – 3 ODIs and 3 T20s to start the summer followed by the first Test, a day-night match in Adelaide on December 17-21.

After some reluctance and (perhaps politics) India have added Rohit Sharma to their Test Squad but as reported earlier, he will not play in the the T20 and ODI series due to a recent hamstring injury.

Selectors hope resting him will energize him to blast at his best in the Tests later in the summer.

Pace star Ishant Sharma is also set to be included in the Test squad while he seems to be making progress in his recovery from an abdominal injury.

India’s wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha is also under a fitness cloud after injuring his both hamstrings in a Indian Premier League match.

By Raj