Watch: Team India begins rigorous training in an attempt to replace the vacuum left by ‘Virat’

NEW DELHI: On Tuesday, Team India captain Rohit Sharma and his colleagues arrived at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, the site of the first Test in the forthcoming five-match series against England, which is set to start on Thursday.

Rohit and his colleagues were seen in a video released by the BCCI hitting at the nets and then participating in different fielding exercises.
“When the first Test is almost ‘time’,” BCCI said in the post that accompanied the video.

For personal reasons, India’s batting talisman, Virat Kohli, will miss the first two Test matches.
The BCCI asked the public and media to hold off on making assumptions about why he took a forced hiatus. On January 25, the five-match series kicks off in Hyderabad.

“Virat Kohli has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to be withdrawn from the first two Tests of the upcoming Test series against England, citing personal reasons,” Jay Shah, the secretary of the BCCI, stated in a statement
The BCCI said that Kohli has spoken with team management and captain Rohit about his decision to withdraw.
“Virat has spoken to captain Rohit Sharma, the team management, and the selectors and has emphasized that while representing the country has always been his top priority, certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention,” the press statement said.
The BCCI has not yet revealed who would take Virat’s position.