Virat Kohli to return home after first Test in Australia, Rohit Sharma added to squad

speedheat · November 9, 2020

Virat Kohli has been granted paternity leave by the BCCI to return home after the first Test of the Australia tour in Adelaide, scheduled to start on December 17. In another significant development, Rohit Sharma has been included in the Test squad for the Australia tour, after initially being left out because of a hamstring injury, but won't be a part of the white-ball leg of the tour.

Varun Chakravarthy, the spinner who received a maiden national call-up for India's T20I series in Australia, has been ruled out because of a shoulder injury. Fast bowler T Natarajan has replaced him in the squad.

Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma are expecting their first child around the new year, which had put a question mark over the availability of the Indian captain for the full Austalia tour, which is scheduled to run from November 27 to January 19. The tour will start with three ODIs, followed by three T20Is, with the four-Test Border Gavaskar Trophy played at the end.

The first Test, scheduled from December 17 to 21, will be India's first day-night Test overseas. In a media release issued on Monday, the BCCI said Kohli would return to India after that match. The Indian board, however, did not specify whether Kohli would return to rejoin the Indian Test squad at a later stage. In Kohli's absence, Ajinkya Rahane, who has been named vice-captain, is expected to be the interim Test captain. A query from ESPNcricinfo to Sourav Ganguly on whether Kohli would return has not been answered yet.

"At the selection committee meeting held on October 26th, 2020, Mr Virat Kohli had informed the BCCI about his plans to return to India after the first Test in Adelaide," the BCCI release, which was signed by board secretary Jay Shah, said. "The BCCI has granted paternity leave to the Indian captain. He will return after the first Test against Australia in Adelaide."

LINK