Virat Kohli will miss the first two Tests against England owing to “personal reasons” after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) allowed him to spend time with his family.

The Indian players were supposed to assemble in Hyderabad, the venue for the opening Test from Thursday, on Saturday but Kohli joined the squad on Sunday and didn’t attend the training session. Following a series of discussions with the team management, he left the team hotel on Monday morning.

“Virat Kohli has requested the BCCI to be withdrawn from the first two Tests of the upcoming Test series against England, citing personal reasons,” BCCI said in a statement.

“Virat has spoken to captain Rohit Sharma, the team management and the selectors and has emphasized that while representing the country has always been his top priority, certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention,” the statement said.

“The BCCI respects his decision and the Board and team management has extended its support to the star batter and is confident in the abilities of the remaining squad members to step up and deliver commendable performances in the Test series.

“The BCCI requests the media and fans to respect Virat Kohli’s privacy during this time and refrain from speculating on the nature of his personal reasons. The focus should remain on supporting the Indian cricket team as they embark on the upcoming challenges in the Test series.”

Kohli played India’s last Test series — the 1-1 draw in South Africa — and then missed the first T20I at home against Afghanistan for personal reasons before returning for the last two matches of the series.

Kohli had been rested for the white-ball leg of the tour of South Africa. He had taken a break after joining the squad for the Test series and missed the preparatory three-day intra-squad match ahead of the two Tests there.

The absence of Kohli, who has scored 1991 Test runs against England at an average of 42.36, will come as a big blow to the line-up.

It remains to be seen if he makes himself available for the remaining Test matches. Ishan Kishan had earlier taken a break citing mental fatigue since he had been
travelling non-stop for the past one year.

With Kohli out as the No.4 batter in the first two Tests, India are likely to move Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul up the order by a spot each. KS Bharat or Dhruv Jurel will don the wicketkeeping gloves in such a scenario.

The selectors are expected to name a replacement for Kohli. Rajat Patidar, who recently hit centuries against England Lions in the practice match and the four-day fixture in Ahmedabad, will be in the reckoning.

Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan will be another option but the selectors are
unlikely to bring back Cheteshwar Pujara.