The who's who of cricket are in attendance as India and England play the third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at the iconic Lord's stadium in London. From Sachin Tendulkar to Rishi Sunak to Brett Lee, Lord's is star-studded on Thursday. But the one individual whose absence is being felt dearly at the venue is Virat Kohli. The former India captain, who, about two months ago, announced his retirement from Test cricket, is in London, but by the looks of it, won’t be attending the 3rd Test. Kohli, less than 48 hours ago, attended a Wimbledon match featuring Novak Djokovic, followed by a special 'YouWeCan' charity event in London, hosted by his former teammate Yuvraj Singh. However, as it turns out, that is believed to be the last Kohli appearance, at least for the time being.
Those who expected Kohli to visit and attend at least one of the five days of the Lord's Test, well, Dinesh Karthik has some bad news. On being asked by Michael Atherton as to whether there is a chance that Kohli would show up, Karthik was negative. "He is near Lord's. That’s where he lives. But don’t think so. He has daddy duties to attend to".
Kohli resides on St. John’s Wood in London, the same street as the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground. But if there’s one thing that his Test retirement at the age of 36 or admission that he is having to colour his beard every 4 weeks is anything to go by, he is content staying away from cricket for the time being. Of course, Kohli is expected to return to action when India next play ODI cricket, potentially as early as August if the BCCI agrees to Sri Lanka Cricket’s request for a limited-overs tour. But until then, having retired from T20Is after last year’s T20 World Cup, Kohli’s appearances will be sporadic.
Virat Kohli content staying away
A report carried in The Telegraph prior to the start of the Test series claimed that Kohli is leading a quiet, low-key life in London. He kept away from the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia, and is in no mood to attend any of the two Tests in London – Lord’s or the fifth game at The Oval. Kohli was also offered to represent County team Middlesex, but the legend has yet to show any interest. He has a young family. A daughter, Vamika, who is four, and a one-year-old son, Akaay. It's clear, more so by Karthik’s remarks, that Kohli, at 36, is prioritising family over cricket.
{{/usCountry}}A report carried in The Telegraph prior to the start of the Test series claimed that Kohli is leading a quiet, low-key life in London. He kept away from the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia, and is in no mood to attend any of the two Tests in London – Lord’s or the fifth game at The Oval. Kohli was also offered to represent County team Middlesex, but the legend has yet to show any interest. He has a young family. A daughter, Vamika, who is four, and a one-year-old son, Akaay. It's clear, more so by Karthik’s remarks, that Kohli, at 36, is prioritising family over cricket.
{{/usCountry}}After hosting the Indian team, Kohli went awfully quiet until last week, when he finally broke his silence after India's commanding win at Edgbaston. Kohli’s star-studded mention for captain Shubman Gill and later the whole team was a breath of fresh air. At the Centre Court, Kohli finally came out in public for the first time since RCB’s controversial victory parade in Bengaluru, but don’t expect many such appearances until he gets back on the road with the ODI team.