Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has made a U-turn after he revealed the reason behind India batter Virat Kohli’s ongoing sabbatical from cricket.
Kohli had been granted leave by the BCCI for personal reasons and has missed the first two Tests of the ongoing India v England Test series. The BCCI didn't give any reason citing that the matter was extremely personal to the cricketer.
As the board is set to announce the India squad for the remainder of the three Tests of the series, the question mark on Virat Kohli’s comeback remains. Also, everyone has been speculating what the reason could be for Kohli’s break from cricket, as he had left India soon after talking to the team management and BCCI.
Meanwhile, AB de Villiers, one of the closest friends of Kohli, revealed that the India cricketer and his wife Anushka Sharma were expecting their second child and this was the reason for his absence from the Indian team.
"All I know is he is fine. He is spending a bit of time with his family, that is the reason he is missing the first two Test matches. I am not going to confirm anything else. I cannot wait to see him back. He is fine, he is doing well.
Yes, his second child is on the way. Yes, it's family time and things are important to him. If you are not true and genuine to yourself, you lose track of what you are here for. I think most people's priority is family. You can't judge Virat for that,” he had said on his YouTube channel.
However, now AB de Villiers took the statement back, saying that it was a mistake to divulge such information and it wasn’t true to begin with.
"Family comes first and then Cricket. I had made a big mistake on my YouTube channel. That information was wrong and not true at all. Virat has every right to take a break from national duties due to family reasons. I think whatever's best for Virat's family, comes first. No one knows what's happening there, all I can do is wish him well. Whatever the reason for his break, I hope he can come back stronger, better, and fresh from this," De Villiers told Dainik Bhaskar.
De Villiers made the correction on the sidelines of the SA20, where he was part of various media interactions. Kohli and de Villiers are extremely close; Virat was one of the first people ABD informed about his retirement, and hence, it wasn't surprising to know that he would have confided in de Villiers in terms of something as personal as becoming a father again.
But with De Villiers admitting that the information was false, the mystery around Kohli’s break continues.
