India skipper Virat Kohli
CA interim Chief Executive Nick Hockley has backed India skipper Virat Kohli's decision to take paternity leave and cut his Australia tour short after the first Test in Adelaide. Hockley said that the board has to respect the Indian skipper's move, adding that Kohli's unavailability was always on cards.
"I think when the pregnancy was announced, it was always on the cards and we have to respect the fact he wants to be there for the birth of his first child," Nick Hockley told Australian radio station SEN on Tuesday.
Hockley further revealed that the board is currently seeing options to increase the crowd capacity ahead of the vital series. He, however, assured that safety will be a priority amid coronavirus debacle.
"We're going to give all priority to safety but we'll continue to work with the authorities to see if we can't increase those capacities a bit as we move forward," he said.
The All-India Senior Selection Committee had met on Sunday to make changes to all three squads for the Australia tour. In an official release on Monday, the Indian board confirmed that Kohli has been granted paternity leave.
“At the selection committee meeting held on October 26th, 2020, Mr Virat Kohli had informed the BCCI about his plans to return to India after the first Test in Adelaide. The BCCI has granted paternity leave to the Indian captain. He will return after the first Test against Australia in Adelaide,” BCCI’s release stated.
Kohli-led India are scheduled to depart for Australia after the culmination of IPL 2020, currently underway in the UAE. The four Test matches against Australia will be held in Adelaide (Day-Night Test, December 17-21), Melbourne (Dec 26-30), Sydney (Jan 7-11, 2021) and Brisbane (Jan 15-19).
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma has been also slotted into the Test squad. However, Ishant Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha, currently recovering from injuries, are yet to be confirmed for the red-ball series.
