Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has urged cricket fans to respect India superstar batter Virat Kohli’s decision to pull out of the first two Tests of their upcoming five-match series against England.
IND vs ENG Test Series: Full Schedule
Kohli withdrew from th first two matches of the Test series citing personal reasons. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has called for respect towards his privacy and refrained from disclosing the nature of his personal circumstances.
Taking to social media platform ‘X’, Pietersen urged fans to respect Kohli’s decision to pull out of the first two Tests.
“If a sportsman pulls out for personal reasons, RESPECT IT! End of!,” Pietersen posted on ‘X’.
A replacement for Kohli will be announced shortly, as India prepares to face England without one of their leading batters. Kohli was part of the Indian Test squad that held South Africa to a 1-1 draw in a two-match Test series in South Africa.
Kohli had scored 172 runs in four innings, while hitting one half-century against South Africa. He also made a comeback to T20I cricket after a gap of 14 months, having last played T20I cricket for India in the 2022 T20 World Cup prior to the South Africa series.
The 35-year-old’s absence is a significant setback for Rohit Sharma’s team, as Kohli was anticipated to play a crucial role in the series against England.
Kohli has played 113 Test matches, scoring 8,848 runs, making him India’s all-time fourth-highest run-scorer in the format. He sits only behind Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs), Rahul Dravid (13,288 runs) and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122 runs) in this list.
His Test average stands at an impressive 49.15, with a highest score of 254*. Kohli has scored 29 centuries and 30 fifties, showcasing his consistency and prowess in the longest format of the game. His fielding skills are also notable, having taken 106 catches.
The two sides will clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad in the first match of the series. This will be England’s second Test series in the third cycle of the World Test Championship, having held Australia to a 2-2 draw in the 2023 Ashes.
INDIA’S UPDATED SQUAD FOR 1st 2 TESTS vs ENGLAND
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan.
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