Indian cricketer Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma announced the birth of their second child on Tuesday, February 20.
Kohli announced on his social media accounts that him and Anushka were blessed with a baby boy, who was born on the 15th of February.
The celebrity couple have named their newborn Akaay. They already have a daughter, Vamika, who was born on January 11, 2021. Kohli hasn't been a part of India's ongoing Test series against England, which India are currently leading 2-1 heading into the fourth Test in Ranchi.
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Kohli was initially named in the squad to face England when BCCI first made an announcement. But, on January 22, BCCI issued a statement mentioning that Kohli would be missing the first two Tests against England due to 'personal reasons.'
It was pure speculation at that point as to why the 35-year-old withdrew from the squad, with the player himself choosing to remain a low profile in the last month.
Then, Kohli's close buddy AB de Villiers revealed on his YouTube channel that Kohli and Anushka were expecting their second child, adding that Kohli wanted to be with his wife as she was nearing the delivery date.
When will Virat Kohli return to action?
Kohli will not return to competitive action anytime soon.
"If KL Rahul comes back, if Virat Kohli comes back... We don't know when that is going to happen," revealed India's batting coach Vikram Rathour.
Kohli is expected to return in time for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is reportedly set to begin in the fourth week of March.
He will be representing Royal Challengers Bangalore, a franchise he has been with since the inception of the IPL.
How has Virat Kohli's replacement, Rajat Patidar, performed against England?
Rajat Patidar has struggled to make an impact, scoring only 46 runs at an average of 11.50 across two matches.
However, ahead of the fourth Test against England in Ranchi, India's batting coach, Rathour, has expressed his support for Patidar.
"We have been having a lot of conversations with him [Patidar]. One thing he has to understand is that this is how this game works. He has been batting really well and scoring a lot of runs to get into the team.
"Two poor games don't make him a bad player. He just had two tough games, a couple of awkward dismissals, which can happen to anyone. There is absolutely no doubt that he is a good player. On his day, he will come up with an impactful innings," Rathour said during the pre-match press conference on Thursday.
With uncertainty over the return of Kohli and Rahul, Patidar gets another opportunity to showcase his talent in the Ranchi Test. However, with competition from other promising players like Sarfaraz Khan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shubman Gill, Patidar faces pressure to deliver a strong performance as India aims for a series-clinching victory.