After retracting his earlier statement about Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma expecting their second child, South African cricket legend AB de Villiers has issued an apology to the family of the star Indian cricketer. This comes in light of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirming that the former India captain will be absent from the remaining three Test matches in the ongoing five-match India vs England Test series.
Kohli, who was absent from the first two Tests of the series due to personal reasons, was anticipated to return for the final three matches. However, it has been officially announced that Kohli will miss the entire home Test series for the first time since his Test debut. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) stated, “Virat Kohli will remain unavailable for selection for the remainder of the series due to personal reasons. The Board fully respects and supports Mr. Kohli’s decision.”
‘I Cry Out To Everybody To Give Him The Privacy’
Although Kohli and his family had maintained silence on the reason for his absence, de Villiers had initially claimed that the couple was expecting another child. However, the South African cricket legend has since retracted his statement, urging fans to respect his privacy. Acknowledging that he shared unconfirmed news, the former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star admitted it was a ‘blunder’ on his part.
“My friend Virat Kohli is still not available. I cry out to everybody to give him the privacy that he deserves. Family comes first. No one knows what exactly is going on. I am asking all of us to respect that. I did bit of a blunder in my previous show and I apologise to the Kohli family for that,” said the former South African batter on his YouTube channel in his live Q&A video.
“Just not nice. I shared information that was not confirmed at all so. I am begging everyone out there to respect him and his family and his private time. Hopefully, we will see Virat back, happy and scoring runs. Like he always does,” de Villiers said further.
Watch The Video Here:
Kohli had reached Hyderabad ahead of the series opener against England last month but departed for home three days before the commencement of the Test series. According to the BCCI statement, he had a discussion with India captain Rohit Sharma and the team management, highlighting that, while representing the country remained his utmost priority, specific personal circumstances required his presence and undivided attention.
