Kohli will fly back to India after first Test in Adelaide.
India cricket captain Virat Kohli’s paternity leave in the middle of the upcoming Test series in Australia is much talked about matter among the cricket fraternity and now legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev has reacted to the same citing Sunil Gavaskar’s example.
Kohli has travelled with Indian Cricket Team to Australia on a long tour but he will fly back to India to attend the birth of his first child with actress Anushka Sharma after playing limited-overs series and first Day-Night Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which starts on 17 December in Adelaide.
While many former cricketers have supported Kohli’s choice, some feel the Indian skipper should be there during India’s defence of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. India’s 1983 World Cup-winning skipper has welcomed the move.
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However, Kapil Dev also mentioned that former India captain Gavaskar didn’t see his son for many months, but things have changes now days in modern-day cricket.
In a conversation with senior sports writer and journalist Ayaz Memon on Day 2 of the 18th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, the legendary cricketer said: “Don’t think we could afford to go and come back. That’s for sure. Sunil Gavaskar didn’t see his son for many months. It was a different thing. Look, things change. If I talk about Kohli, when his father died, he came back playing cricket the next day. Today he is taking a leave for his baby. It’s fine, you can afford it.”
Former all-rounder also highlighted how the facilities in modern-day cricket allows the players privileges that he and his former teammates could never imagine in the past.
He signed off by explaining his point of view, “You can buy a plane and go back and come back again in three days. I feel happy and proud that today sportsmen have reached a level where they can do this. I’m happy for Virat. He’s coming back to see his family. I understand you have passion but the biggest passion in that he’s having a baby.”
(With Hindustan Times Inputs)