Bringing an end to all the speculations, Virat Kohli has reportedly informed the BCCI officials, the selection committee and the Indian team management about his withdrawal from the remaining three Tests against England due to personal reasons. Kohli had missed the first two Tests in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam due to the same reason. It was earlier reported Kohli, set to be out of action from the third and fourth Tests, was yet to get in touch with the BCCI officials but on Friday, he informed the selectors about his unavailability, reported The Indian Express.Kohli had taken part in India’s first training session before the series opener in Hyderabad but on the same day, he informed captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Rahul Dravid and the selectors about his decision to opt out of the first two Tests. The next day, the BCCI issued a lengthy press release requesting privacy for the former India captain. BCCI secretary Jay Shah also added that the board, the selectors and the team management respect Kohli’s decision and are ready to extend all support.
This will be the first time since his debut that Kohli would not play a single Test in a home series. Needless to say, this is a huge blow for an Indian batting unit that is struggling for big runs and has largely been dependent on individual brilliance in this series so far.
