Hyderabad: Former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers on Saturday revealed that India’s prolific batter Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma are expecting their second child and he wants to spend time with his family. Virat Kohli has withdrawn from the first two Tests of the five-match series against England, citing personal reasons.
After India’s defeat in the first Test against England, de Villiers checked on Virat Kohli about his absence in India’s squad. He also backed his gesture of spending quality time with close ones, saying family is a priority and that veterans can’t be judged for taking a break during this phase of his life.
Earlier, the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), in a detailed statement, urged fans and media not to speculate on the reasons for Virat Kohli’s decision to withdraw from two Tests. The BCCI had also mentioned that Kohli had a word with captain Rohit Sharma and the team management before opting out of the first two matches of the much-awaited Test series. Notably, it is the first time that India is playing a five-match Test series against England on home turf.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, de Villiers said, “All I know is he is fine. He is spending time with his family and that is the reason he is missing the first two Test matches. I am not going to confirm anything else. I cannot wait to see him back. He is fine, he is doing well."
AB de Villiers referred to his text message exchange with Virat Kohli before confirming that the former India captain and his wife Anushka Sharma were expecting their second child.
"Let me just see what he said. I just want to at least give you (fans) a little bit of love. So, I wrote to him "Been wanting to check in with you (sic) for a while. How are you?". He said, "Just need to be with my family right now. I am doing well," the right-hand batter added.
"Yes, his second child is on the way. Yes, it's family time and things are important to him. If you are not genuine to yourself, you lose track of what you are here for. I think most people's priority is family. You can't judge Virat for that. Yes, we miss him. But, he has made absolutely the right decision," de Villiers, who is renowned as Mr 360 degree disclosed.
It may be recalled that Virat and Anushka tied the knot in 2017. The star couple celebrated the third birthday of Vamika, their daughter, in January this year.
Notably, Kohli returned home in 2021 to be with family, opting out from the Test series after playing the first game of the four-match series, when they were blessed with their first child in 2021. Earlier, Virat Kohli's brother, Vikas, rubbished rumours about his mother's health, saying their mom was doing fine, contrary to rumours on social media.
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