VIRAT KOHLI EXPLAINS WHY HE MISSED ENGLAND SERIES DURING TWO-MONTH BREAK FROM CRICKET

Virat Kohli has opened up on his two-month break from cricket which saw him miss India’s Test series against England.

Kohli initially withdrew from the first two Tests of the five-match series but was later ruled out of the entire contest for ‘personal reasons’.

The 35-year-old has revealed he took a break from the sport while his wife Anushka Sharma gave birth to their second child and he and his family spent time outside of India.

England beat India by 28 runs in the series opener but India came roaring back to win 4-1 and extend their stunning record at home.

‘We were not in the country,’ Kohli said when asked about the series. ‘We were at a place where people were not recognising us.

‘Just time together as a family, just to feel normal for two months. For me, for us as a family, it was a surreal experience.

‘Of course, having two kids, things become totally different from a family perspective. So just the ability to be together, the connections that you make with your older child, it’s amazing. 

‘I mean, I couldn’t have been more grateful to God for the opportunity that I got to spend time with my family.’

On not being noticed, the India superstar added: ‘I was telling the guys that when we came back, the voices back home felt that much louder.

‘I couldn’t look up because I was just not used to being called my name for two months. And then immediately you hear these loud noises and then you’re back in it all again. 

‘But it was beautiful. It’s an amazing experience to just be another person on the road and not be recognised and just carry on about life that normally people would on a daily basis.’

Kohli has impressed on his return to the sport, scoring 98 runs in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s first two games of IPL 2024.

RCB were beaten by Chennai Super Kings in their tournament opener before Kohli’s 49-ball 77 helped the side chase 176 to beat Punjab Kings.

Kohli and Bangalore have never won the IPL – falling short in three finals – but he remains the top run-scorer in the tournament with over 7,000 runs in 239 matches.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

2024-03-27T14:03:44Z dg43tfdfdgfd