India confirm Virat Kohli will miss two England tests for personal reasons
Superstar Virat Kohli has withdrawn from the India squad for their first two tests against England.
"Mr. Virat Kohli has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to be withdrawn from the first two Tests of the upcoming IDFC First Bank Test series against England, citing personal reasons," a statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India read.
"Virat has spoken to Captain Rohit Sharma, the team management and the selectors and has emphasized that while representing the country has always been his top priority, certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention.
"The BCCI respects his decision and the Board and team management has extended its support to the star batter and is confident in the abilities of the remaining squad members to step up and deliver commendable performances in the Test series.
"The BCCI requests the media and fans to respect Virat Kohli's privacy during this time and refrain from speculating on the nature of his personal reasons. The focus should remain on supporting the Indian cricket team as they embark on the upcoming challenges in the Test series. The Men’s Selection Committee will name a replacement soon."
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The news comes a day after England saw Harry Brook pull out of the tour with immediate effect. The England and Wales Cricket Board cited personal reasons as the cause for Brook returning back to Britain.
"Harry Brook is set to return home with immediate effect for personal reasons from the England Men’s Test tour of India," a statement from the ECB read.
England batsman Harry Brook has also pulled out of the series (Getty Images)"The Brook family respectfully requests privacy during this time. In light of this, the ECB and the family kindly request the media and the public to respect their wish for privacy and refrain from intruding on their private space. The England selectors will confirm a replacement player for the tour in due course."
The first test gets underway on Thursday in Hyderabad, before they meet a week later in Visakhapatnam for the second test. Kohli is expected to return in time for the third test, which starts in Rajkot on 15 February.
England then wrap up their tour with the fourth test in Ranchi and the fifth test in Dharamshala. The last time England won a test series in India was more than a decade ago, with the team being defeated twice since then.
The visitors are also dealing with their captain Ben Stokes' recovery from knee surgery, with the superstar not expected to bowl during the Test series. England have not lost a Test series since Stokes and Brendan McCullum took charge of the team in 2022, with the head coach confident of overcoming India.
"He looks like a greyhound. He's put the work in, everyone knows his work ethic is phenomenal. I've seen him running around and I think he's good to go. We'll obviously make that call as late as what we need to. But he's put all the work in, and we'll just have to wait and see," McCullum said of Stokes.
"Obviously our thoughts are with Harry and his family, it's a tough time. It's a privileged position to play cricket for a living but some things are more important than that. We wish him all the best and hopefully the next little period for Brooky is as comfortable as it possibly can be.
"There's a chance he may return later in the tour but for now we just want him to be with his family and do his thing. We are going to be tested, and our methods are going to be challenged and we'll see where we are at. It's a pretty exciting opportunity.
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