'Maybe he is…'-AB de Villiers explains Virat Kohli's absence from First 2 India vs England Tests

The upcoming Test match between India and England, scheduled for 25-29 Jan at 9:30 am, promises an intense battle. Led by captain Rohit Sharma, India's squad  featuring star players like Ashwin and Bumrah aims for dominance. England, under Ben Stokes’ leadership, will seek to counter with a strong squad in this much-anticipated series opener.

3 things you need to know 

• India vs England 1st Test will be played today 
• Virat Kohli will miss the first two tests of the series 
• England have won the toss and have opted to bat 

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AB de Villiers made a huge statement about Virat Kohli 

AB de Villiers, a former cricket player from South Africa, recently talked about the circumstances behind Virat Kohli's decision to skip the first two Test matches between India and England. De Villiers states that he does not know the precise "personal reasons" behind Kohli's choice, stressing that even now, answers are not readily available.

De Villiers expressed his worry for the prominent Indian cricket player and expressed his wish that Kohli is doing well. In a video posted on his YouTube account, de Villiers stated that he planned to get in touch with Kohli shortly to inquire further about the circumstances (Video timestamp: 1:33). AB de Villiers said: 

“No one knows what has happened yet. I am sure we will get to know soon. If Virat talks about personal reasons, there must be a very good reason for that. Maybe he is also tired. He has been playing a lot of cricket. Could be family stuff. I will find out soon but I won't tell you guys. His friendship is too important to me.”

Over the years, De Villiers and Kohli have developed a close bond because of their common experiences in the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) locker room.

Indian head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma are confident that other players can fill in for Kohli when the first Test gets underway in Hyderabad on Thursday. This positivity conveys a sense of confidence in the group's capacity to work together and adjust.

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AB de Villiers on whether England will be successful with the aggressive approach in IND conditions 

AB de Villiers is of a different opinion from the general cricket community, which is sceptical about England's Bazball doctrine being adapted to Indian conditions. The former cricket player believes that counterattacking is a better tactic for getting runs than just surviving, particularly on Indian turning pitches.

Expanding on his viewpoint, de Villiers shared his ideas on this in a remark that was recorded at 3:18. He added: 

“I feel Bazball, or any attacking brand of cricket in Indian conditions will work very well. It can work in any rough conditions. In the Newlands with the ball moving around, who scored? Aiden Markram and a few Indian batters who took the attack to the opposition. Players who are conservative generally struggle.”

“I remember an innings in Kanpur where spin was introduced in the 9th over of the innings in Day 1. That's very unheard of. But I learned pretty quickly there that you need to be attacking. You don't tend to get into difficult situations more often than when you just try to survive.”

It's possible that AB de Villiers' viewpoint on taking a more aggressive tack in Indian conditions stems from his personal experience. He scored merely 43 runs in a memorable 2015 Delhi match against India despite facing 297 balls and seeming to be playing defensively in an attempt to force a draw. Remarkably, the home team won, and de Villiers realised that in these difficult circumstances, batters should use a more proactive and aggressive approach. This insight may be affecting his perspective on batting tactics in India at the moment.