De Villiers also came out in support of Kohli’s decision to skip the matches, lauding him to give priority to his family and said he can’t be judged for taking a break to be with his loved ones during this significant phase of his life.
“All I know is he is fine. He is spending a bit of time with his family, that is the reason he is missing the first two Test matches. I am not going to confirm anything else. I cannot wait to see him back. He is fine, he is doing well,” de Villiers said in his YouTube show on Saturday.
“Let me just see what he said. I just want to at least give you (fans) a little bit of love,” he added.
“So I wrote to him ‘Been wanting to check in with you (sic) for a while now biscuits. How are you?’. He said ‘Just need to be with my family right now. I am doing well.’.
“Yes, his second child is on the way. Yes, it’s family time and things are important to him. If you are not true and genuine to yourself, you lose track of what you are here for. I think most people’s priority is family. You can’t judge Virat for that. Yes, we miss him. But he has made absolutely the right decision,” he added.
Kohli had asked for a break for the first two Tests citing personal reasons and BCCI urged fans and media to respect the former Indian skipper’s privacy.
“Mr. Virat Kohli has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to be withdrawn from the first two Tests of the upcoming IDFC First Bank Test series against England, citing personal reasons,” the BCCI said in a press release on January 22.
“The BCCI requests the media and fans to respect Virat Kohli’s privacy during this time and refrain from speculating on the nature of his personal reasons. The focus should remain on supporting the Indian cricket team as they embark on the upcoming challenges in the Test series.”