 "Virat Kohli")
India suffered a major setback ahead of the five-match India vs England test series as senior batter Virat Kohli withdrew from the first two Tests. Kohli cited personal reasons for his decision. India is set to play the first Test against England starting January 25 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, while the second Test will begin on February 2 in Vishakhapatnam.
In the press release, BCCI said that Virat Kohli has requested leave from the first two Tests of the upcoming IDFC First Bank Test series against England, citing personal reasons.
"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 statement added
"The BCCI respects his decision, and the board and team management have extended their support to the star batter and are confident in the abilities of the remaining squad members to step up and deliver commendable performances in the test series."
Why India will miss Kohli in the first two Tests?
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Virat Kohli has been one of the in-form players for India going into the Test series against England. Kohli, who has 8848 runs in Tests, is just 152 runs away from entering the 9000-run club which has only three Indians in it so far. He would join Sunil Gavaskra, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in an elite list. He is also just nine runs short of getting 2000 runs against i9n England in Tests and he would have become only the third Indian after Tendulkar and Gavaskar to reach that feat.
Virat Kohli's record on Indian soil against England
Kohli is also one of the best batters when it comes to scoring against England on Indian soil. The Indian modern master has 1015 runs in 21 innings of 13 Tests against England in India. The 35-year-old has an average of 56.38 which is brilliant to have in Indian conditions, where the ball is turning.
