IND vs SA: Will Virat Kohli be missing the 1st Test after returning back to India?

The Indian cricket team faces notable setbacks as they prepare for a two-game Test series against South Africa during their ongoing tour. Initially, Ishan Kishan was ruled out for unspecified reasons, and KS Bharat was brought in as a replacement. However, the team will now also be without Ruturaj Gaikwad, who couldn't recover in time from an injury.

Adding to the challenges, Virat Kohli has returned to India temporarily due to an undisclosed family emergency. Reports suggest he plans to rejoin the team in South Africa ahead of the first Test. 

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Kohli secured permission from the coaching team to leave the Indian camp promptly, missing the practice intra-squad Test match. The first Test against South Africa is scheduled to begin on Boxing Day, December 26, 2023, and Kohli faces a tight timeline to make it back for the match.

Notably, Kohli had already missed the first two white-ball fixtures of the ongoing tour after he and Rohit Sharma opted out. Consequently, Suryakumar Yadav led the Men in Blue in the T20 Internationals, while KL Rahul took over captaincy for the One Day matches. Rohit Sharma is expected to resume his role as captain starting from the first Test onward.

India's squad for the two-game Test series against South Africa: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat (replaced Ishan Kishan).