Virat Kohli to lay low, lead quiet life in England, stay away from cricket even as India play 2 Tests in London: Report
As India prepare for a highly-awaited five-Test series against England, the most talked-about absence is undoubtedly that of Virat Kohli, who, while not part of the squad, remains very much in the vicinity. The former captain, now retired from Test cricket, is based in London with his wife Anushka Sharma and their two children, choosing a life of quiet anonymity just miles away from the cricketing field he once dominated.
A report in The Telegraph sheds light on Kohli's current life in England: understated, private, and deliberately distanced from the sport, even as the Indian team gets ready to play two Tests in the very city he now calls home. Unlike Sachin Tendulkar, who was spotted at Lord's recently, Kohli skipped both the World Test Championship final and the MCC's 'World Cricket Connects' symposium, despite being within touching distance.
London has long offered Kohli a kind of refuge that India never could. Here, he is occasionally seen at restaurants or even riding the tube, an unthinkable scenario back home. Kohli has, on a number of occasions, also acknowledged the privacy he enjoys on foreign soil, which seems to be the primary reason behind his shifting his base to England.
The couple is believed to reside in Notting Hill, a neighbourhood they have quietly occupied for a few years now. In contrast to his iconic on-field persona, Kohli's off-field life has become intentionally minimal.
Recently, County side Middlesex had shown interest in roping in Virat Kohli for the season; however, Kohli has yet to show any inclination towards the offer. His only recent cricketing involvement came earlier this month when Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the IPL franchise he led, finally won their maiden title, prompting wild celebrations that also, tragically, resulted in a deadly stampede during the victory parade.
Kohli is expected to return to action in August for India's ODI tour of Bangladesh, the only format he now plays. Until then, his relationship with the England series will remain a curious one: geographically close, otherwise distant. Kohli did, however, host a number of Team India players, including newly-appointed captain Shubman Gill, at his London home for lunch before the start of the series.
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