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The South African great Dale Steyn has backed Virat Kohli on his decision to take a break from the ongoing home Test series for India against England citing personal reasons. The 40-year-old spoke to the Indian media before the SA20 final, wherein he said that the “family is your most important priority,” concerning Virat Kohli’s leave of absence.
Notably, Virat Kohli had requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to withdraw his name from the first two Tests of the five-match series against England, citing personal reasons. After the completion of the first two Tests, with India and England level at 1-1 in the series, there have been rumours surrounding the former Indian captain's availability for the remaining matches.
As per the report from ESPNcricinfo, Virat Kohli is expected to miss the third and fourth Test of the series, but the picture will be clear after the Indian selection committee announces the squad.
Dale Steyn, who was a teammate of Virat Kohli during his days in the IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), was talking to the Indian media in a virtual interaction on the eve of the SA20 final between the Sunrisers Eastern Cape and the Durban Super Giants. While speaking about the recent leave of absence of the former Indian captain, he said, as per Times of India, “I think family is your most important priority. I'm sorry, like, that's it, you know. That's the end of the story. Like right there.”
“I've got three dogs, and if one dog got sick, and I was in the IPL, I'm jumping on the first plane out of there to come back to see my dog,” he added.
Then, the 40-year-old reiterated his point and said, “So if Virat Kohli has decided to sit at home, I don't see any problem with that at all.”
