Mumbai, Feb 04, 2024, IANS

Mumbai, Feb 3 (IANS) Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has let the cat out of the bag for former India captain Virat Kohli missing the first two Tests against England, by revealing that his one-time Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate and his wife actress Anushka Sharma are expecting their second child.

"Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma (are) expecting their second child, so Virat Kohli is spending his time with his family," AB De Villiers said in a video on his YouTube channel. Married on December 11, 2017, Virat and Anushka had their first child, daughter Vamika, on January 11, 2021.

Kohli had pulled out of the first two Tests against England just before the start of the first match of the series at Hyderabad, informing skipper Rohit Sharma and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that he was withdrawing because of personal reasons.

"Virat Kohli has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to be withdrawn from the first two Tests of the upcoming IDFC First Bank Test series against England, citing personal reasons," the BCCI informed in a release on January 22.

"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," said the BCCI statement.

Since his withdrawal, there has been speculation on social media about the reasons for his decision, with some speculating that he and Anushka were expecting another child while others speculated that he is staying away from the team because of a serious health issue in his family.

Kohli and Anushka had maintained a silence and the members of the Indian team and BCCI, in the know, too maintained the secrecy. But AB de Villiers eventually spilt the beans on Saturday in a video post on his YouTube channel.

In the latest post, De Villiers talked about how he called up Kohli to enquire about his health and was told that he is keeping away from the first two Tests against England because he wanted to stay with his family as it is an important time for him.

"He just said 'How are you, just need to be with my family right now'. Then I said 'I am doing well'. And yes, his second child is on the way, it's family time, its priority in love, family and things that are important to you and if you are not true and genuine to yourself you lose track of what you are here for, what are you on earth for what is your purpose. I think most of us are here for family," said AB de Villiers in the video.

The revelation by De Villiers set the social media on fire though both Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma have continued their silence on this issue.