The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is scheduled to be played from December 17 to January 19.
India skipper Virat Kohli might miss the last two Tests of the much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia as he expects the birth of his first child in January.
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Speaking to PTI, a BCCI source said that Kohli can be expected to take paternity leave after the first two Tests of the series.
“The BCCI has always believed that family is priority. In case, the skipper decides on availing paternity break, he will then be available only for the first two Test matches,” the senior source said on conditions of anonymity.
The battle for the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy will kick-start with the pink-ball affair at the Adelaide Oval on December 17. Melbourne will host the second Test from December 26 while the third and fourth Tests will be played in Sydney Cricket Ground (January 7-11) and Brisbane's Gabba (January 15-19), respectively.
“Look, in normal times, he could have flown back for the birth of his first born, missed a Test and played the final one in Brisbane. However, if the 14-day quarantine is still in place, it will be difficult to go and come back again,” the source added.
According to the report, Kohli’s absence could pave the way for an in-form KL Rahul’s entry into the middle order.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma’s presence in the Mumbai Indians (MI) playing XI has increased hopes among the BCCI officials that the veteran opener could well board the chartered flight to Australia on November 11 along with the rest of the squad.
“A decision will be taken soon in this regard. It’s only fair that Rohit stays with the team and does his strength and conditioning work under physio Nitin Patel and trainer Nick Webb. Let’s see how it goes,” the source said.
(With PTI inputs)