Virat Kohli leaves the first two Test matches between India and England due to personal concerns.

India has suffered a severe blow ahead of the crucial five-match Test series against England, as their star batsman Virat Kohli has withdrew from the opening two Test matches. Notably, the first Test of the series will take place at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on January 25. The second Test is scheduled to take place in Visakhapatnam on February 2.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India, or BCCI, also disclosed that Virat Kohli missed the first two Test matches due to personal concerns.

The cricketer, who was born in Delhi, discussed important personal matters that require his presence and entire attention with team management, selectors, and captain Rohit Sharma. The batting star’s replacement will be revealed soon.

The media and fans have also been asked by the BCCI to respect Kohli’s privacy and not trespass on his family’s personal area. In particular, the 35-year-old Kohli’s absence will severely hurt India’s batting lineup because of his excellent record versus England.

With five hundreds and nine fifties to his credit, the right-handed hitter has amassed 1991 runs at an average of 42.36 against the Three Lions. The former captain of India was at his imperious best during the 2016 home series between the two nations, finishing as the top run scorer over five Tests with 655 runs at an average of 109.16 with two hundreds and two fifties.

Harry Brook also left the series for private reasons.

The responsibility of leading the Indian batting order in Kohli’s absence would fall to veteran players like skipper Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja. Harry Brook, the leading batsman for England, had already pulled out of the five-match Test series for personal reasons, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Sunday, January 21.

As for the forthcoming series, it seems to be an exciting matchup between the Indian spin bowling team and England’s Bazball tactic, which will be tested to the limit.