Virat Kohli, the Indian cricket captain, and his wife Anushka Sharma joyfully welcomed their second child, a son named Akaay, on February 15. Kohli, who had initially withdrawn from the ongoing Test series against England for personal reasons, shared the news on Instagram.
The cricket star, who had been in Hyderabad preparing for the series, decided to be with his family and extended his absence for the entire series after initially planning to miss only the first two games. India, currently leading the series 2-1, had announced their squad for the final three Tests a little over a week ago.
This isn’t the first time Kohli has prioritized family commitments over cricket responsibilities. When expecting their first child, he had opted out of the last three Tests during the 2020-21 Australia tour. During that period, Ajinkya Rahane took on the captaincy duties in Kohli’s absence.
Kohli’s recent appearance for India was in mid-January when he returned to the T20 side for a series against Afghanistan, a move made with an eye on the upcoming World Cup scheduled for June 1.
In other team updates, India has decided to rest Jasprit Bumrah for the fourth Test against England. Additionally, KL Rahul, who initially filled Kohli’s spot at No. 4 in the batting order, is still working towards regaining full fitness, as announced on Tuesday.