Former India spinner Dilip Doshi on Tuesday opened up on Virat Kohli's paternity leave amid the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series, opining that he wouldn't have left for home under similar circumstances as national duty comes first.
Kohli was granted permission by the BCCI even before the Indian team had left for Australia from the UAE. He played part in the first Test in Adelaide where he scored 73 and 4 in India's horrifying eight-wicket defeat before leaving home to be with his wife and Bollywood actor, Anushka Sharma, for the birth of their first child.
"I know this is a modern phenomenon that people believe that they ought to be by the side of their family and spouses when they deliver a child. I understand all that. But when you are on a national duty If I put myself in his shoes, I wouldn't have gone. For me, national duty comes before everything else," Doshi told Sportskeeda.
Doshi feels that BCCI did not stop Kohli from leaving as they have no such rule in disallowing a player, amid a tour, to be with his wife on such occasions.
"This is a highly individual and institutional approach. Legally, you cannot stop somebody from doing that. The cricket board cannot have a rule saying the players cannot go and be on the side of their spouses for such an occasion. Personally, I wouldn't have gone," Doshi added.
India, who are now 0-1 down in the four-game series, will now be led by Ajinkya Rahane. The team also lost Mohammed Shami who injured his forearm while batting on day 3 of the opener.
