India v England: Virat Kohli out for rest of Test series due to 'personal reasons' in setback for hosts

India superstar Virat Kohli has been ruled out for the remainder of the Test series against England due to "personal reasons".

Kohli had been ruled out of the first two Tests before the series began but with a break between the second and third Tests, he was expected to return.

However, the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India confirmed on Saturday that he will not return to the squad for the rest of the series.

"Virat Kohli will remain unavailable for selection for the remainder of the series due to personal reasons," the BCCI statement read.

"The board fully respects and supports Mr Kohli's decision."

His absence is a big blow for the hosts who had all-rounder Hardik Pandya and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant ruled out before the series due to long-term injuries.

There is good news for India though, with KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, who both missed the second Test, fit enough to be included.

Mohammed Siraj had already been confirmed to return as he was left out of the second Test for workload reasons.

There is also a call-up for Akash Deep with the seamer poised to make his debut.

England won the first Test in historic fashion behind Ollie Pope scoring 196 and Tom Hartley taking seven wickets on debut.

However, the hosts bounced back in the next Test as Jasprit Bumrah took 9-91 and Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a double-hundred as India won by 106 runs.

The third Test gets underway on Thursday, February 15 at the Saurashtra Cricket Stadium in Rajkot.

Rohit Sharma (capt), Jasprit Bumrah, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (wk), Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep.

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