Virat Kohli's decision to skip India's ongoing Test series against England has been backed by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah.
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah supported Virat Kohli's decision to skip India's ongoing Test series against England, stating that he has the right to request personal leave. Speaking to reporters at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) stadium in Rajkot on Wednesday, ahead of India's third Test against England, Shah stated that Kohli is not the type of person to take leave without a valid reason. Shah stated that it is important to trust and support Kohli's decision to take personal leave after 15 years of playing without requesting it before.
Initially, Kohli withdrew from the India team for the first two Tests of the series due to personal reasons. However, it was later announced that he would miss the entire five-match series.
Virat Kohli's last appearance was in the T20I series against Afghanistan in January.
Due to personal reasons, he will not be available for selection for the remainder of the series. The Board has full respect and support for Mr Kohli's decision.
When asked whether Kohli would be part of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in June, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah replied, 'We will talk about him soon.'
Shah confirmed that Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian team in the upcoming T20 event.
He expressed confidence in Rohit's leadership abilities, citing his performance in the ODI World Cup where India won 10 consecutive matches. Shah believes that India will win the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados under Rohit's captaincy.
India's last major trophy win was in 2013 when they beat England to win the ICC Champions Trophy in the UK. Despite impressive performances in subsequent ICC Cricket World Cups, ICC T20 World Cups, and the finals of the ICC World Test Championship, India has yet to capture another major trophy.
The ICC T20 World Cup, co-hosted by the West Indies and the US, will begin on June 1. India is in Group A with Ireland, Pakistan, Canada, and the US.
The Indian cricket team will begin their campaign in the upcoming tournament with a match against Ireland on June 5th. Their second game will be against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 9th, followed by matches against Canada and the USA on June 12th and June 15th, respectively.
In other news, the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium was renamed on Wednesday after veteran cricket administrator and former first-class cricketer Niranjan Shah.