Kohli returned home due to a family emergency; Gaikwad out of South Africa tour!

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New Delhi. India’s talismanic batsman Virat Kohli has returned home amid preparations for the upcoming Test series against South Africa due to a family emergency. On the other hand, opener Ruturaj Gaikwad is set to be ruled out of the Test series after suffering a finger injury in the recently concluded ODI series.

According to a report in Cricbuzz, Kohli left for Mumbai about three days ago after getting permission from the team management and the BCCI to skip the three-day practice match that the Indian Test team is currently playing in Pretoria.

The former India captain is expected to return to South Africa on Friday. “The exact details of the emergency are unclear, but BCCI sources say he will return to Johannesburg in time for the first Test, which begins in Centurion on December 26,” the report said.

Meanwhile, Gaikwad suffered a finger injury in India’s second ODI against South Africa at Gkebarha and missed the series decider in Paarl on Thursday.

BCCI had said at that time, “Ruturaj Gaikwad has not fully recovered from the injury he sustained on his ring finger while fielding in the second ODI. He is under the supervision of BCCI medical team. ,

The report said that Gaikwad will not be able to recover in time for the Test series and he is expected to reach India on Saturday.

“It has now emerged that there is no possibility of his recovery before either of the two Test matches and the team management, after consulting the BCCI, has decided to release him immediately,” it added.

The report also said that after the conclusion of the ODI series and three-day practice matches, the Indian teams across all three formats will now assemble in Johannesburg and from there will travel to Centurion for the first Test against South Africa.

India’s two Tests against South Africa will be played in Centurion from December 26-30 and Cape Town from January 3-7, 2024. This is India’s second series of the 2023-2025 World Test Championship cycle, after winning the two-Test series 1-0 in the West Indies in July.

The last time India played a Test series in South Africa was in December 2021-January 2022. At that time, India had won the first Test in Centurion, before South Africa bounced back by winning matches in Johannesburg and Cape Town and eventually clinched the series 2–1. Thus India’s quest to win a Test series for the first time in the country has increased.

–IANS

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