New Delhi: India captain Virat Kohli was on Monday granted paternity leave by the BCCI after the first Test against Australia next month, while his limited-overs’ deputy Rohit Sharma was added to the red-ball squad after being initially left out due to a hamstring injury.
Kohli will miss three Test matches in Australia to be with his actor wife Anushka Sharma as the couple welcomes its first child in early January.
The centrally-contracted players are eligible for paternity leave and Rohit had availed it during the 2018 tour of Australia.
India’s tour of Australia comprises three ODIs, as many T20 Internationals and four Tests. The series begins November 27.
The Tests start on December 17 in Adelaide. Kohli will miss the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne (December 26-30), New Year’s Test in Sydney (January 7-11) and the final game at the Gabba (January 15-19). Cricket Australia, which is already facing a lot of heat from the broadcasters Seven Network, would be worried as the Indian captain is a massive draw and his absence could severely impact the advertisement market.
In Rohit’s case, he will be back in India after the IPL ends on Tuesday and undergo his rehab along with pacer Ishant Sharma.
He separately board a flight in the last week of November. The BCCI also informed that Ishant will be added to the Test squad subject to fitness. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who had allegedly hid his shoulder injury, has been ruled out of the T20 Internationals.
Chakravarthy didn’t intimate the BCCI that he had a labrum tear and continued playing for Kolkata Knight Riders.
He will now have to go for a surgery. It is learnt that hiding injury in his very first national call-up hasn’t gone down well either with the BCCI’s medical team or with the national selection committee. (PTI)
