Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers stated that he would not be able to reveal the true reason for his friend Virat Kohli’s withdrawal from the first two Tests between India and England. The 35-year-old has withdrawn from the first two tests against the Ben Stokes-led team citing personal reasons.
Virat Kohli has pulled off the first two Tests against England, causing a significant blow for India. The former India captain has decided not to participate in both games due to personal considerations, he also missed the first T20I against Afghanistan and the India intra-squad encounter before the South Africa test series due to personal concerns.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ab de Villiers stated that he was unaware of the ‘personal issues’ that had led Virat Kohli to withdraw from the first two Tests. He is hopeful that everything is good with the renowned Indian cricketer and that he will contact him shortly.
“No one knows what has happened yet. I am sure we will get to know soon. If Virat talks about personal reasons, there must be a very good reason for that. Maybe he is also tired. He has been playing a lot of cricket. Could be family stuff. I will find out soon but I won’t tell you guys. His friendship is too important to me,” AB de Villiers said.
Virat Kohli performed admirably in the most recent Test series against South Africa, guiding the team to a 1-1 tie after two games. Cricket fans around the World have been divided into two categories over the former Indian skipper’s decision. While some support Kohli’s choice, others slam the former Indian captain’s decision to sit out.
I Learned Pretty Quickly There That You Need To Be Attacking – AB de Villiers
Ab de Villiers says England’s Bazball mentality may succeed in Indian conditions, citing the example of Aiden Markram’s knock against India. The former cricketer believes that the greatest way to get runs on turning tracks in India is to counterattack rather than simply survive, and he also shared his experience playing Test cricket in India.
“I feel Bazball, or any attacking brand of cricket in Indian conditions will work very well. It can work in any rough conditions. In the Newlands with the ball moving around, who scored? Aiden Markram and a few Indian batters took the attack to the opposition. Players who are conservative generally struggle.”
“I remember an innings in Kanpur where spin was introduced in the 9th over of the innings on Day 1. That’s very unheard of. But I learned pretty quickly there that you need to be attacking. You don’t tend to get into difficult situations more often than when you just try to survive,” Ab de Villiers added.
England has also been very successful with the Bazball technique in red-ball cricket. Ben Stokes-led side dominated Australia on their home turf in the Ashes 2023 last year. However, Bazball will face a big test in the present India vs England Test series in India, where the wickets are more spin-friendly.
