Virat Kohli has decided to stay away from cricket for a little while. As the Indian team prepares for the tour of the West Indies, Kohli will stay back in London to spend time with his family. The former Indian captain has been rested for the 3-match ODI series and 5-match T20I series against West Indies. He is likely to return to action in the Asia Cup scheduled to start in August.
“Kohli will be joined by his mother and extended family during the break,” a Times Now report said. It adds that “Kohli will avoid cricket during the said time and will kick off the preparations for Asia Cup 2022 from August 1. Kohli is in England with his wife and daughter.”
Virat Kohli to return in Asia Cup
While India lacks a substitute for him in Tests and ODIs, there are a number of candidates who can bat at number 3 in T20 Internationals. In February, Shreyas Iyer shined in the absence of Virat Kohli, scoring three consecutive half-centuries against Sri Lanka. Deepak Hooda also performed admirably on a few occasions and scored a century against Ireland.
To preserve his spot in the starting XI for the T20 World Cup later in the year, Kohli must score runs in the shortest format. Speaking of the Windies visit, pacer Jasprit Bumrah is also rested in addition to Kohli. Due to Rohit Sharma’s break in the ODIs, Shikhar Dhawan will captain the Men in Blue in the three matches. Rohit will return for the T20 series,
