Why is Virat Kohli not playing today's 1st India vs England Test?

Star Indian batter Virat Kohli will miss the first two Tests of the five-match home series against England which begins in Hyderabad on Thursday.

The former captain pulled out a few days before the start of the series due to personal reasons. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released a statement confirming that and requested media and fans to respect Kohli's privacy and commitment to Indian cricket.

"Virat has spoken to Captain Rohit Sharma, the team management and the selectors and has emphasised that while representing the country has always been his top priority, certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention. The BCCI respects his decision and the Board and team management has extended its support to the star batter and is confident in the abilities of the remaining squad members to step up and deliver commendable performances in the Test series," the BCCI said.

Coach Rahul Dravid said that although the team would miss a 'phenomenal' player like Kohli, it was an opportunity for others to step up.

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Who has replaced Virat Kohli in India's playing XI?

India have added Madhya Pradesh batter Rajat Patidar as Kohli's replacement for the first two Tests. However, the youngster has to wait a bit for his debut as the selectors decided to bring keeper-batter KS Bharat into the playing XI for the first Test.

An experienced sturdy batter from Andhra Pradesh, Bharat has played five Tests for India, scoring 129 runs at an average of 18.42. In first-class cricket, he has over 5,000 runs to his name from 94 matches at 37.10.

Earlier reports had suggested that the team always wanted to include Bharat because of his superior wicketkeeping skills to spinners compared to KL Rahul. That would have meant a toss-up between Rahul and Shreyas Iyer for the No. 5 spot.

However, with Kohli absent, the team has stuck with both of them. Rahul would likely bat at No. 4, with Shreyas and Bharat following at No. 5 and 6, respectively.