Kohli trained with Indian team in Hyderabad. His withdrawal a bolt from the blue | Cricket

Generally, it doesn’t take much effort to guess what’s going on inside Virat Kohli‘s mind. A glance at him in the field, the entire match scenario is crystal clear. Kohli is that emotive. He is real. Subtlety is not his cup of tea. He is the exact opposite of MS Dhoni on the cricket field. If India are in a spot of bother, it would be written on Kohli’s face. If they are on top, Kohli would make sure the opposition and everyone else know it. He makes few attempts to hide his emotions. Or so we thought…

Among the many qualities top-level athletes have, their ability to spring a surprise is perhaps the most underrated. Kohli has not bossed international cricket for a decade and a half just by his batting prowess alone. He is extremely good at catching the opposition off guard. He can adapt to different situations and mould his game like very few can imagine.

Take his two knocks in the Afghanistan T20Is as examples. The Kohli, who has always made it so hard for bowlers to get his wicket was ready to gift wrap it in exchange for quick runs. Why? Because that’s the demand of the format. T20 doesn’t look at names and Kohli has realised it. He’s no longer worried about getting out for a golden duck while playing a heave across the line. He is adapting. He is surprising the opposition.

But what Kohli pulled off between Sunday and Monday (January 21 and 22) was beyond the usual stuff. The former India captain withdrew from the first two Tests of the much-awaited England series citing personal reasons. In an official statement, BCCI revealed that Kohli had informed captain Rohit Sharma, the members of the team management and also the selection committee before taking the leave. But for the majority of the Indian team members, it came as a bolt from the blue.

Like all other members of India’s Test squad, Kohli reached Hyderabad on Saturday night. With the first Test slated to begin on Thursday, the Indian players had a hit on Sunday. And Kohli was an active part of that. Like always, he was full of intensity and aggression in the closed-door practice session. Little did anyone know what was brewing inside him.

A day later when India started their training in the morning, Kohli was not there. In the afternoon, BCCI announced that he won’t be a part of the squad in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam.

The wording of BCCI’s statement gave an eerie feeling. “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.”

Kohli never takes a voluntary break from Test cricket. The last time he took one in Australia was when his wife, Anushka Sharma was about to give birth to their first child.

“…certain situations demand his presence and undivided attention.” The words carry weight.

“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 wants privacy. Whatever the reason may be, it was big enough to keep him away from Test cricket. Whatever the reason may be, it was big enough for him to not let anyone have an iota idea of what was going on inside his head. Whatever the reason is, let’s hope everything is well with Kohli and family.