Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has asked cricket fans to respect Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli’s decision to withdraw from the first two Tests of their upcoming five-match series against England due to personal reasons.
The 35-year-old pulled off the first two tests against the Ben Stokes-led side, which is scheduled begin on January 25th in Hyderabad.
Rohit Sharma and his team will play England in a five-Test series, with the first match beginning on Thursday. Virat Kohli, who was named in India’s team for the first two games, has withdrawn from the Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam Tests for personal reasons after making a comeback into the Indian team during the three-match T20 series against Afghanistan.
Taking his Social Media handle, Kevin Pietersen urged everyone to respect Virat Kohli’s decision to pull out of the first two games citing personal reasons.
If a sportsman pulls out for personal reasons, RESPECT IT!
End of!— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) January 22, 2024
“If a sportsman pulls out for personal reasons, RESPECT IT! End of!” Pietersen posted on X.
There is no clear explanation for Kohli’s withdrawal from the squad. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has asked the public not to speculate on the reasons behind the situation. The BCCI has also requested that fans respect the player’s privacy at the moment.
The BCCI statement states that the team management will shortly name a replacement for Virat Kohli in the first two Tests. The first two matches in the series are set to begin on January 25 and February 2, respectively.
The Ace Indian batter could have been the decisive difference between the teams in the series. His home record against England just adds to the impact of his absence. Kohli has scored over 1,000 runs against the English in Indian conditions, with three hundred in 13 Tests.
Virat Kohli’s batting form in recent years has been unparalleled in world cricket, with the renowned batsman breaking out of his slump in 2021 and 2022. The 35-year-old averaged 43 in two Tests in South Africa, helping India level the series 1-1.
Virat Kohli has the chance to break a major record in the five-match Test series. The former Indian skipper is presently placed fourth in terms of total Test runs for India. Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most Test runs for India, totalling 15,921 runs. The Indian great blaster is followed by Sunil Gavaskar (10122 runs), Rahul Dravid (13288 runs), and Virat Kohli (8848).
