Report: Virat Kohli returns home ahead of South Africa Test series due to family emergency; Ruturaj Gaikwad released from squad

Team India’s star cricketer Virat Kohli has flown back to his home country, India, owing to a family emergency on December 22. Reports claim that the star cricketer will reach South Africa ahead of the first Test game which is scheduled to take place on December 26 in Centurion. However, Virat Kohli will be missing the three days of practice games ahead of the clash.

Notably, Team India will be aiming to win the two matches of the Test series against South Africa for the first time in their history. The Men in Blue last travelled to South Africa in 2021, where the Virat Kohli-led Team India suffered a 1-2 loss in three Test matches. However, Virat Kohli resigns from the Test captaincy after losing the series against the Proteas.

The 35-year-old cricketer was last seen in action during the ODI World Cup 2023 Final, where the side suffered a defeat against Australia on November 19 at the iconic Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium. However, the stylish batter has opted for a break from T20I series against Australia and white ball series against South Africa. Virat Kohli was spotted in London with his wife, Anushka Sharma, and daughter, Vamika Kohli, during the break.

Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Mohammed Shami are also unavailable for Test series from India’s camp

Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad has also been ruled out of the Test series due to injuries he sustained in the second ODI against South Africa. The star cricketer missed the final ODI as well due to injuries. However, Ishan Kishan have also flown back to India, while KS Bharat named his replacement. Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami is also unavailable owing to injuries.

Check here the squads:

India Test squad against South Africa: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Mohd. Shami*, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Prasidh Krishna.

South Africa Test squad against India: Temba Bavuma (Captain), David Bedingham, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Dean Elgar, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Keegan Petersen, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs and Kyle Verreynne

Check here the full scedule: