Virat Kohli has withdrawn from the first two of India’s five Tests against England for personal reasons, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India asking media and fans “to respect his privacy and refrain from speculating about the nature of [those] reasons”.
The first Test begins in Hyderabad on Thursday and the second in Vizag next Friday, before a break ahead of the third which starts in Rajkot on 15 February.
“Virat has spoken to captain Rohit Sharma, the team management and the selectors and has emphasised that while representing the country has always been his top priority, certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention,” the BCCI said in a statement. “The BCCI respects his decision and is confident in the abilities of the remaining squad members to step up and deliver commendable performances in the Test series.”
Kohli’s withdrawal continues a chaotic buildup to the series, with England arriving in India only on Sunday night, leaving themselves just three days to get ready for the first match after choosing to base their preparations in Abu Dhabi. Harry Brook has also withdrawn – provisionally for the entire series though a return is possible – also for personal reasons, with his replacement, Dan Lawrence, due to join the squad on Monday evening.
Shoaib Bashir, the 20-year-old spinner with just 10 first-class wickets who was a shock addition to the tourists’ Test squad, remains in Abu Dhabi having not yet been issued with a visa – his family’s Pakistani background has complicated his application, though the BCCI and the Indian government have now got involved to expedite proceedings and England expect him to join them on Tuesday.
England’s main quandary at this point is whether to replace Brook with Lawrence, to add to their bowling options, or to bring in Ben Foakes as wicketkeeper and freeing Jonny Bairstow to play as a specialist batter. Both Foakes and Bairstow trained with the gloves on Monday. Ben Stokes, the England captain, is expected to play after recovering well from knee surgery at the end of November.
“He looks like a greyhound, he’s stripping fit,” was the assessment of Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach. “He’s put the hard work in, and everyone knows his work ethic is phenomenal. I’ve seen him running around and I think he’s good to go.”
McCullum insisted England have no plans to change their attacking approach against an India side that has lost only one of their past 31 Test series at home, a run dating back to October 2004. The one defeat came against England in 2012-13, since when they have won all 16 series played.
“Do you need to tweak it? I don’t know,” he said. “In the end all you’re trying to do is get guys in the frame of mind where they’re totally present in the moment, they feel 10 foot tall and bulletproof when they walk out to play. Then it’s allowing their skills and their talents to come out.
“We’ve got to take 20 wickets with the ball in each Test and we’ve got to get one more run than them with the bat. It’s not rocket science but it will be the nuances of the game, when to stick and when to twist, which will be the fascinating part. That’s what I love about this series: we’re going to be tested, and our methods are going to be challenged, and we’ll see where we are at.”
Lawrence was called up, ahead of those players already in India with England Lions, as the next cab on the rank. “It’s no discredit to those who are in the Lions,” McCullum said. “Dan was the next batter in all last summer and selection loyalty is important to us.”
