Kohli could miss second half of Australia tour: Here's why
In what could be a huge blow for Team India, skipper Virat Kohli is likely to fly back midway through the Australian tour. According to reports, the Indian captain will do so to attend the birth of his child. It is understood that the BCCI will be requesting the authorities to relax the quarantine period for Kohli upon his return. Here is more.
Anushka and Virat made the announcement in August
In August, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli announced they are expecting their first child. The duo made the announcement through a picture posted on Instagram. In the picture, Anushka was seen flaunting her baby bump.
When they made it official
Team India to start training from November 13
It was recently reported that Team India is set to reach Australia on November 12 for the long tour. With the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 season ending on November 10 in UAE, the national team's players will travel straight to Australia. Meanwhile, it has also been learned that the Indian players can train from November 13 itself in Sydney.
The tour will take place in a bio-bubble
There will be bio-bubble measures in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic for the upcoming tour. Hence, the Indian cricketers will play intra-squad matches in order to acclimatize in Australia. As per reports, Kohli had informed the board of his decision before the squad was picked. Now, it remains to be seen if Kohli gets the allowance to move back into the bio-bubble.
Kohli has sough the approval of board: BCCI official
Speaking on Rohit Sharma's availability, a BCCI official mentioned that Kohli may miss three Tests. "Unless National Cricket Academy declares him fit, Rohit is not going to Australia. However, we're keen to see that Rohit is fit in time for the Test series, considering that Virat has written to the board that he may miss three Tests due to personal reasons," he said.
The tour will commence on November 27
The tour will kick-off on November 27 with the ODI series, followed by matches on November 29 and December 2. Meanwhile, the three T20Is will be held on December 4, 6, and 8. The opening Test in Adelaide (Day/Night) will begin on December 17. Besides, MCG (December 26-30), SCG (January 7-11), and Adelaide Oval (January 15-19) will host the next three Tests.
Here is the full schedule
1st ODI: November 27, Sydney Cricket Ground 2nd ODI: November 29, Sydney Cricket Ground 3rd ODI: December 2, Manuka Oval 1st T20I: December 4, Manuka Oval 2nd T20I: December 6, Sydney Cricket Ground 3rd T20I: December 8, Sydney Cricket Ground 1st Test: December 17-21, Adelaide Oval (Day/Night) 2nd Test: December 26-30, MCG 3rd Test: January 7-11, SCG 4th Test: January 15-19, The Gabba
