Virat Kohli Opts Out of the First Two Home Test Series Against England Due to Personal Reasons

Summary: King Virat Kohli is backing out of the first two home test series against England? Could this be a huge blow to the Indian Cricket Team?

Unfortunately our star player, Virat Kohli has to back out of the first two test series against England just two days before the game. Due to some personal reasons he won’t be able to play for India, and that’s quite unfortunate.

Recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released a statement that said, “Virat Kohli has requested the BCCI to opt out from the first two Tests of the upcoming home Test series against England, because of some personal reasons.”

They also stated that, “Virat has spoken with Captain Rohit Sharma, the team management and the selectors and has emphasized that while representing team India, the country has always been his top priority, certain personal circumstances requires his presence and undivided attention.”

They further stated, “We respect his decision and the Board and team management have extended their support to the batter and are confident in the abilities of the remaining team members to amp up and deliver commendable performances in the Test series.”

And while requesting the fans and media, BCCI mentioned, “The BCCI requests the media and fans to respect Virat Kohli’s privacy during this time and refrain from speculating the nature of his personal reasons. The focus should be on supporting the Indian cricket team as they embark on the upcoming challenges in the Test series. The Men’s Selection Committee will soon find a replacement.”

It’s difficult to find a replacement for Virat Kohli within a couple of days. Within the team, KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel could be the replacement option, but most probably the selectors will have to look for someone from outside the team.

Rajat Patidar could be a great option, his form in his white-ball debut for India has been exceptional. He played a pivotal role for his state team in winning the ranji trophy (2021-22). He scored a century in the finals against Mumbai.

The other name that’s coming forward is Sarfaraz khan. The pitches for the test series against England are most likely to be spin-friendly, and Sarfaraz’s ability to  play against spin could not be doubted.

So, these two could be the great replacement options, or the team could select the players from the team itself to play on No.4, and that could be either KL Rahul or Shreyas Iyer.