Virat Kohli has the right to ask for personal leave: BCCI secretary Jay Shah

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah has backed superstar batter Virat Kohli’s call to miss India’s ongoing Test series against England

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah has backed superstar batter Virat Kohli’s call to miss India’s ongoing Test series against England, saying he has the right to ask for a personal leave.

Kohli had initially withdrawn from the Indian squad for the first two Tests of the series, citing personal reasons. However, it was later announced that the 35-year-old would be missing the entire five-match series.

Speaking to the media ahead of India’s third Test against England in Rajkot, Shah said Kohli is not the kind of player who would ask for leave without any reason. Kohli's former Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate, AB de Villiers, had made a statement saying the India batter was expecting his second child but quickly tracked back on his comments while also issuing an apology.

“If somebody is asking for a personal leave in 15 years then it is his right to ask for it. Virat is not that kind of a player that he would ask for a leave without any reason. We must back and trust our players. We will talk about Virat later,” said Shah.