Virat Kohli has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to remove him from the upcoming Test series against England due to personal reasons. Kohli informed the captain, Rohit Sharma, about his decision and has also discussed it with the team management, as stated in a statement released on the BCCI website by Secretary Jay Shah.
The statement reads, "BCCI respects his decision, and the board and team management have extended their support to the star batsman. They are confident in the abilities of the rest of the team to perform commendably in the Test series and have urged everyone to respect Kohli's privacy."
The absence of India's most influential batsman has raised many questions. The five-test matches are starting from January 25, 2024, in Hyderabad. Kohli's number of test runs against England is 1991, with an average of 42.36. He is only 152 runs away from completing 9,000 runs in Test cricket. BCCI will announce his replacement soon.
Rajat Patidar or Sarfaraz Khan As Replacement?
There is speculation about whether Rajat Patidar or Sarfaraz Khan will be chosen as a replacement. Patidar recently played an inning of 151 runs in the unofficial test against England Lions, and Sarfaraz scored a half-century in the second innings of the same match. There is also discussion about including Cheteshwar Pujara, who has scored more than 20 thousand first-class runs, including seven thousand Test runs, in the team. However, it remains to be seen whether the current selection committee led by Agarkar will recall Pujara or choose between Rajat Patidar or Sarfaraz Khan.
