AB de Villiers on Saturday confirmed that Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma were expecting their second child which has led to the star Indian batter missing the first 2 Tests against England.
“All I know is he is fine. He is spending a bit of time with his family, 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 said on YouTube.
The South African batter who shares a great rapport with Kohli off the field due to their shared time in Royal Challengers Bangalore, also shared excerpts from the texts which he and Kohli had exchanged which confirmed that the Indian star was expecting a child.
Thankyou for the update ABD ❤️ pic.twitter.com/FT1eZ1N1oe
— Kohlified. (@123perthclassic) February 3, 2024
“So I wrote to him ‘Been wanting to check in with you (sic) for a while now biscuits. How are you?’. He said ‘Just need to be with my family right now. I am doing well.’.
“Yes, his second child is on the way. Yes, it’s family time and things are important to him. If you are not true and 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 added.
With Kohli missing the first two Tests against England in the ongoing five-Test series, there had been plenty of rumours swirling around about why the Indian cricket team talisman chose to skip the two Tests.
Neither the player, nor the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had given a reason for why Kohli was skipping the first two games besides a short line in the press statement that read: “Virat Kohli has requested the BCCI to be withdrawn from the first two Tests of the upcoming Test series against England, citing personal reasons.”
