Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore might be out of IPL 2020 but the cricket does not end there for him. After the end of the IPL, Virat Kohli will lead the Indian cricket team for a tour to Australia that will include three ODIs, three T20Is and four Tests starting from November 27. However, according to media reports, Virat Kohli might miss the final two Tests starting on January 7 and January 15 in Sydney and Brisbane respectively. The reason – Virat Kohli is expecting the birth of his child. A couple of months back, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli took to Twitter to announce that they will be parents in January 2021.
There has been no official confirmation from the BCCI about Virat Kohli’s plans but according to sources, it is expected that the Indian cricket team skipper will play the first two Tests in Adelaide and Melbourne before taking paternity leave for the birth of his child. India will play the ODIs and T20Is first and in this tour, India will also play the Pink Ball Test for the first time in Adelaide.
The BCCI source added that family is always a priority but the reason for Kohli missing two Tests will be because of the COVID19 protocol in Australia. “The BCCI has always believed that family comes first for the player. If the captain decides to take a paternity leave, then he will play the first two Tests and return back to India to expect the birth of his child. Ideally, he could come back after one Test. But, due to the COVID19 protocol in Australia which requires 14 days of isolation, he will miss even the final Test in Brisbane,” the unnamed official added.
There is immense speculation about the fitness of Rohit Sharma as the BCCI and the IPL create a wave of confusion. Rohit Sharma was left out of all the three squads for the tour to Australia but on the day of the selection meeting, Rohit was seen practicing. When BCCI president Sourav Ganguly announced that Rohit Sharma will have to manage his hamstring injury, he played the game for Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers Hyderabad which they lost. This has resulted in plenty of former players questioning Rohit Sharma’s commitment to playing for India.
However, the same BCCI official stated that Rohit Sharma might be included in the squad and will travel to Australia with the Indian cricket team on November 11. “A decision on Rohit Sharma will be made soon. It will be better if Rohit Sharma travels with the team and under the guidance of BCCI physio Nitin Patel and trainer Nick Webb, he can do his strength and conditioning while on tour,” the BCCI source said.