Virat Kohli Likely To Miss 3rd, 4th Tests Against England

As team India struggles with a depleted batting line-up in the ongoing Test series against England, star batter Virat Kohli, a key absence in the first two matches, is likely to miss the third and fourth Tests to be played in Rajkot and Ranchi, according to ESPNcricinfo.

The ex-captain of India is also uncertain to play in the last game of the series against England in Dharamshala, as per the report.

Kohli had previously pulled out of the initial two Tests against England citing personal reasons.

"Virat Kohli has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to be withdrawn from the first two Tests of the upcoming Test series against England, citing personal reasons," BCCI said in a statement.

The country's top cricket governing body has asked the media and fans to give Kohli privacy during this time.

"The BCCI requests the media and fans to respect Virat Kohli's privacy during this time and refrain from speculating on the nature of his personal reasons. The focus should remain on supporting the Indian cricket team as they embark on the upcoming challenges in the Test series."

Right-handed batsman Rajat Patidar was selected to take the place of Virat Kohli in India's initial two Test matches against England. Patidar marked his international debut on December 21 in the previous year during the third ODI match against South Africa, where he batted as an opener for the Indian team and achieved a score of 22 runs from 16 deliveries with an impressive strike rate of 137.50.

India was defeated by 28 runs in the first Test but managed to secure a victory by 106 runs in the second Test of the five-match series.

Virat's most recent appearance was in the T20I series against Afghanistan last month. In the two matches he played, he scored 29 runs quickly and was dismissed for a duck.

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