The Indian cricket squad for the last three Tests against England has been announced after significant delay by the BCCI. Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer are notable omissions, while KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja have been included pending their clearance of fitness benchmarks before the third Test starting on February 15. Kohli had initially withdrawn from the first two Tests due to personal reasons, and now his absence extends to the entire series with the latest squad announcement.

“Virat Kohli will remain unavailable for selection for the remainder of the series due to personal reasons. The Board fully respects and supports Mr. Kohli’s decision,” the BCCI said in a statement.

Following the release of the squad, Virat Kohli’s IPL team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, highlighted that this marks the first time in 13 years that a Test series will be played without Kohli.

“The first Test series in 13 years without Virat Kohli. The nation is with you, and your seat remains reserved whenever you’re ready to return, King,” the post read.

The first Test series in 13 years without Virat Kohli. 🥺

The nation is with you, and your seat remains reserved whenever you’re ready to return, King. 👑❤️‍🔥#PlayBold #INDvENG #TeamIndia @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/fxOgLIlhWL

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) February 10, 2024

Steyn’s Support For Kohli

South African cricketing legend Dale Steyn emphasized the importance of family priorities, noting Kohli’s absence from the game during India’s series against England due to personal reasons. Steyn expressed support for Kohli’s decision to prioritize spending time with his family and highlighted Kohli’s significant contributions to Indian cricket over the years, questioning what more he needs to prove at this stage of his career.

“Family is your most important priority. Sorry, that’s it. That’s the end of the story right there. I’ve got three dogs and when one of them got sick, I was out of the IPL. I was jumping on the plane out of there to come back and see my dog. If Virat Kohli has decided to sit back home because he wants to be with his wife if he’s going to have his second child, I don’t see any problem with that,” Steyn said during an interview.

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