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NDTV
10 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Virat Kohli To Attend Games During India-England Series? Report Makes 'Absent' Claim
A major absence during the India-England Test series will be star batter Virat Kohli who announced his retirement from the longest format of the sport. However, speculations have been rife about whether he will be attending matches during the series considering the fact that Virat lives in the vicinity with his wife Anushka Sharma and kids. Virat has chosen a life in England which is devoid of the fanfare and according to a report by Telegraph, he may not attend many games because he has distanced himself from the game. Despite being in the country, Kohli recently skipped both the World Test Championship final and the MCC's 'World Cricket Connects' symposium. Coming to the first Test match, India's new Test captain Shubman Gill faces a stern challenge leading the side in testing English conditions, and he has to show patience and composure to succeed on the demanding tour, feels former head coach Ravi Shastri. With India going through a transition phase following the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin, the BCCI has entrusted Gill to lead the Indian Test team. Gill's first assignment as skipper is the five-Test series in England that starts with the opening match in Leeds on Friday. "I think, take your time," Shastri said on 'The ICC Review', offering his initial guidance to the 25-year-old Gill. "It's not going to be easy. He's (Gill) been asked to do a tough job, that is to captain India on a tour of England." It is still early days in Gill's Test career, with the youngster amassing 1893 runs at an average of 35.05 in 32 matches, since making his debut in December 2020. Besides his batting, Gill's leadership skills will be put to test in England, where India last won a Test series in 2007.
Hindustan Times
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
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.
