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India vs England 2024 Cricket

'King ko kya hogaya' - Fans react as Virat Kohli continues to be unavailable for India vs England Test series due to personal reasons

The Indian Cricket Board revealed that Kohli will remain unavailable for selection for the remainder of the series and supports the former India captain's decision.

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Mathew K
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Virat Kohli (Source: X)

Virat Kohli (Source: X)

The Indian Cricket Board has confirmed that Virat Kohli will miss the entire India vs England Test series due to personal reasons. The Indian squad for the remaining three Tests at Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamsala was announced on Saturday (February 10).

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In a statement released on their website, the board revealed that Kohli will remain unavailable for selection for the remainder of the series and supports the former India captain's decision. "Virat Kohli will remain unavailable for selection for the remainder of the series due to personal reasons. The Board fully respects and supports Mr. Kohli’s decision," read the statement. 

Kohli was with the team in the training camp held in Hyderabad ahead of the series opener. However, just days before the fierce rivalry, the 35-year-old informed the board that he was pulling out of the first two Tests due to personal reasons. Fans expected him to return for the final three Tests, but he decided to sit out the entire series. 

The exact reason behind Kohli's absence is not known as the star batter decided to keep it private. Initially, there were reports that the cricketer's mother was ill, but later all such fake reports were rubbished by his brother Vikas. Then Kohli's friend and former South Africa captain AB de Villiers came forward with a controversial statement that the batting stalwart and his wife Anushka Sharma are expecting their second child.

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However, the legendary cricketer later apologised for spreading the wrong information. With Kohli missing the entire series, fans feel that something serious is going on in their favourite's life. Notably, in his 13-year Test career, the right-hander has never missed a whole series. This would also mean that we won't be probably witnessing the Virat Kohli vs James Anderson rivalry again. 

Definitely miss him but his absence doesn't mean India will lose the series: Aakash Chopra 

Former Indian cricketer Akash Chopra said that India will definitely miss the services of Virat Kohli, but that doesn't mean they will lose the series. He cited the example of India defeating Australia in Australia in Kohli's absence. The ongoing series is currently 1-1 with the Men in Blue winning the second match by 106 runs in Visakhapatnam.

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"I won't go that far. Let's be honest, life doesn't stop because of someone coming or going. Life must go on, the show must go on. We are feeling Kohli's absence a lot, I will be very honest," said Chopra.

"You are definitely missing him but his absence doesn't mean that you will lose the series if he isn't there because you defeated Australia in Australia in his absence. India actually lost in the match he was there, that was the Adelaide Test match, but after that, we broke Gabba's pride as well," he added. 

Here's how fans reacted to Virat Kohli's absence from the entire IND vs ENG Test series:

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