In a welcome move, BCCI has granted paternity leave to Virat Kohli to be by his wife's side during the birth of their first baby. The Indian skipper would return from team India's Australia tour after the first test. BCCI released an official statement today and informed everyone.
However, the news of Kohli availing the paternity leave and leaving the Australian tour has not gone down well with the netizens. Ever since the announcement, Twitter has turned into a battlefield with many praising BCCI and many condemning BCCI's move and Kohli's request for the leave.
Harsha Bhogle also took to Twitter and wrote, "Well, well...this is huge news. Kohli to return after the 1st test in Australia to be there for the birth of his child. For the modern player, there is more to life than just his profession. But for the Indian team, the tour just got tougher."
While it is true that fathers deserve paternity leave as much as the mothers, fans are not very happy with Virat Kohli's decision. Many have reminded him of MS Dhoni's sacrifice of not being by his wife during the birth of their daughter and many have criticized BCCI for not letting Rohit Sharma lead.
Virat's decision draws mixed reactions
"Then why even bother to go for one test. Better skip the entire series and let Rohit lead if he is fit," wrote one user.
"Remember MSD didn't return on the birth of Ziva because he was in the midst of India's World Cup 2015 campaign down under," another said on Twitter.
"Just a memory. Nothing to do with Virat as such, everybody should respect Virat's choice and he deserves it," a Twitter user exclaimed.
"I do agree it's Virat's choice. But does Army officers have similar leeway? I think when you are playing for your country it's a privilege & not luxury. Not everyone gets the opportunity to play for India. But I do understand compassionate leaves in other professions. So respect!," another user wrote.
"Nothing imp than national duty, yet again Kohli proved he is not a leader," a Twitter user reacted.
"This is the difference between Kohli and Dhoni ... Country and duty above anything else. This is what you live for. If this is just another profession then he better work in a PSU bank and work from 9 to 5 pm," said another user.
"This is the difference between dhoni and kohli," a Twitter user wrote.
There were many who supported Kohli's decision and praised him for understanding how much would Anushka need him at that hour.
"Family is bigger sir, cricketers don't play for India but they play for BCCI, so I guess Family>BCCI Love your job but don't love your company because you may not know when ur company stops loving you Family comes first," wrote one user.
"Only a woman will understand this gesture," a Twitter user wrote.
"Best husband for anushka," said another user.
