Virat Kohli's Absences Explained: AB De Villiers Reveals Reason

Ab de Villiers, who shared a dressing room with Virat Kohli at Royal Challengers Bangalore, has confirmed that the India national team star is expecting his second child with Anushka Sharma

Outlook Sports Desk

Updated on: 3 February 2024 7:22 pm

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma (Photo: File)

In a video posted publicly, former cricketer AB de Villiers confirmed that India national cricket team star Virat Kohli and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma are expecting their second child, explaining Kohli's recent absences from the Indian camp. (More Cricket News)

Kohli, despite being named in the Test squad to face England in the first two matches, had taken a leave of absence, while his potential involvement in the rest of the series was also thrown into considerable doubt after news reports of late.

"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 happy," AB de Villiers said.

"Let me just see what he said. I just want to at least give you a little bit of love.

"So I wrote to him 'Been wanting to check in with you for a while now biscuits. How are you?'. He said 'Just need to be with my family right now'. Then I said I am doing well.

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"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. Yes, we miss him, but he has made the right decision," concluded the ex-South Africa star.

De Villiers' revelation comes after weeks of speculation behind Kohli's frequent absences. The former Indian captain had sat out the white ball contests against Australia and South Africa post-ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and skipped parts of the South Africa tour and Afghanistan home series for reasons undisclosed.

Some had speculated the health of Kohli's mother may be causing the Indian cricket star to spend more time at home of late, but those rumours were quickly quashed by his brother:

"Hello everyone. I have noticed that there is this fake news about our mom's health been circulating around. Let me clear that our mom is absolutely fit and fine. Also, I would request everyone and also the media, not to spread such news without proper information," Vikas, Virat's brother, had written on Instagram.