Virat Kohli drops massive news about wife amid absence from England Test series

Virat Kohli and wife Anushka Sharma have announced the birth of their second child - a son named Akaay. The Indian cricket star took to social media on Tuesday night to reveal the happy news.

"With abundant happiness and our hearts full of love," Kohli and Sharma wrote in a joint post to their followes. "We are pleased to inform everyone that on 15th February we welcomed our baby boy Akaay and Vamika's little brother into this world. We seek your blessings and good wishes in this beautiful time in our lives. We kindly request you to respect our privacy at this time."

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The news goes some way to explaining why Kohli decided to skip the current Test series against England. The former captain first decided to skip the first two Tests of the five-match series, before later deciding that he would sit out the entire series instead.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India only said that Kohli was missing the series due to family reasons, leaving fans concerned that something had gone wrong. The news of Akaay's arrival has gone some way to alleviating those fears, with cricket fans and commentators sending a flood of congratulations to Kohli and Sharma on Tuesday.

Speaking before the third Test, England captain Ben Stokes said: “I wish Virat all the best with everything he is going through and I hope he comes through it. Because Virat Kohli on a cricket field is something everyone wants to see.”

India have managed to overcome the loss of Kohli and lead the series against England 2-1. The tourists won the opening Test by 28 runs in Hyderabad before India levelled the series at 1-1 with a 106-run victory at Visakhapatnam.

The hosts then took a 2-1 lead earlier this week with a crushing win by 434 runs in Rajkot. The fourth Test begins on Friday in Ranchi, before the series finale in Dharamsala on March 7.

India rest Jasprit Bumrah for fourth Test against England

Meanwhile, India have opted to give fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah a rest for the fourth Test, with the world's No.1-ranked Test bowler not travelling with the squad to Ranchi on a charter flight on Tuesday afternoon. KL Rahul will also sit out again having missed the third Test with a quad injury, with Mukesh Kum re-joining the squad.

With just a four-day turnaround between the third and fourth Tests, India are playing it safe with Bumrah due to a number of injuries in recent times. After taking nine wickets in Visakhapatnam, Bumrah took just two on a flat pitch in Rajkot. The seam-friendly conditions for the fifth Test in Dharamshala will be much more to Bumrah's liking, so India have put him in cotton wool.

The JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi is likely to offer plenty of spin, with England not playing an international match at the venue in 11 years. England coach Brendon McCullum is backing Joe Root to turn things around, with the former captain yet to reach 30 in six attempts so far this series.

Asked if Root could move down the batting order considering how much he's been bowling this series (106 overs so far), McCullum said: "I haven't thought about it. I think Joe wants to be in the game. He's totally invested in where this team wants to go. I think Joe will be absolutely fine."

with AAP

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