Former Australia captain Steve Waugh was surprised and disappointed to know that India captain Virat Kohli will miss three Tests to attend the birth of his first child.
Kohli and his actress wife Anushka Sharma are expecting their child in January next year, and the cricketer has been granted permission by the BCCI to return home after the first Test in Adelaide, which begins on December 17.
Though Kohli's absence is a good news for Australia as they are looking to regain the Border-Gavaskar trophy, it is a blow to broadcasters and cricket chiefs who are already bearing the brunt in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
"I'm a little bit disappointed he's not going to be there -- and a bit surprised," former skipper Waugh, who played 168 Tests, said.