Indian skipper Virat Kohli has returned back home to India for the birth of his first child with wife Anushka Sharma. Kohli was forced to miss the last three test matches due to his paternity leave, a move which turned out to be extremely controversial. While fans and critics criticised Kohli’s decision, several people backed the skipper as well. Australian batsman Steve Smith being the latest one.
Smith said that credit must be given to Virat Kohli for choosing to be with his wife during the birth of their first child, amidst all the pressure to stay on in Australia for the remainder of the Test series.
Steve Smith revealed their conversation after the Adelaide Test, saying he wished Virat Kohli the best for the birth of his first child. “I fist-pumped him at the end and wished him a safe travel. I said ‘hope everything goes well with the baby’ and pass on my best to your wife’. That was about it,” said Smith.
“It’s a big loss for India to not have him for the rest of the series. If you look at the way he played in the first innings, it was class on display against some good bowling and on a wicket that was doing a bit.
He added, “I have said it before, I will say it again credit to him for being able to stand up and say he wants to go home and be with his wife. It’s a milestone he certainly wouldn’t want to miss and I am sure there would have been a lot of pressure on him to stay, but credit for him to make the decision.”