‘I disagree with Virat Kohli getting trolled’ – Farokh Engineer after Indian skipper receives backlash for paternity leave from Australia tour

Former Indian cricketer Farokh Engineer has lashed out at the ones, who are trolling national skipper Virat Kohli for taking paternity leave from the tour of Australia. The 32-year-old Virat took the leave after the Day-Night Adelaide Test in order to be with his wife, Anushka Sharma, who’s due to give birth to their first child in the month of January.

A number of people, including pundits and commoners, criticised Kohli for leaving behind national duties for personal commitments. However, Engineer had Virat’s back, saying that the right-hander didn’t do something ‘unfair’ and doesn’t deserve any kind of flak from the netizens.

Virat Kohli has made a personal decision, says Engineer

“I disagree with that (trolling Virat Kohli). Why would you troll someone? He has made a personal decision to be with his wife to have the first child, which is not too unfair to ask for,” Engineer was quoted as saying to Sportskeeda’s Indranil Basu.

Engineer, who played five ODIs and 46 Tests for India from 1961 to 1975, stated that though personally, he would have chosen to play for India, there’s no harm in Kohli being with his family.

“I have got four children. I wasn’t there for any of their births. I was always playing international cricket for India. The Queen, in fact, gave me the message of my first child’s birth in the long room at Lord’s. So, in my time it didn’t happen. That doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t happen now.

“But personally, I would have rather played for India especially with India not having done so well in the first match. My thought would have been for my country. But I don’t blame Virat Kohli for being with his family. This is the modern trend. I think it’s just an age difference,” he added.

A number of experts reckoned that with Kohli in the team, India would get whitewashed. It was more so because India were restricted to a mere 36 in the second innings of the Adelaide Test.

However, the visiting team made a comeback, winning the Melbourne Test by eight wickets. The third and penultimate Test gets underway on January 7 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.