The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced today that star batter Virat Kohli will not play in the final three matches of their five-match home Test series against England due to personal reasons.
According to the details, the BCCI mentioned in a statement that they would completely respect and support Kohli’s decision.
Before the series commenced, the former captain withdrew from participation in the first two tests, also citing personal reasons.
The 35-year-old batter, who has scored almost 9,000 runs in 113 Test matches, will be absent for a whole series at home for the first time in his career.
It should be noted that the third Test is scheduled to take place in Rajkot from Thursday, with matches to follow at Ranchi and Dharamsala.
BCCI has also announced a 17-man squad for the final three Tests. The squad includes KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, who missed the second match due to injury. However, their participation is subject to fitness clearance by the medical team.
Middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer has not been selected amid reports that he has suffered a back problem, while selectors resisted the temptation to rest speedster Jasprit Bumrah, who missed time due to injury last year.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj was also included in the squad after sitting out the last game, while fellow pacer Akash Deep earned his maiden Test call-up.
