NEW DELHI (AP) — India captain Virat Kohli will play the test series opener against Australia next month before taking paternity leave and missing the second, third and fourth matches.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India issued a statement Monday confirming it had granted Kohli's request for paternity leave during the Border-Gavaskar series.

The India squad is set to arrive in Australia later this week on a charter flight from the United Arab Emirates, where the Indian Premier League has been staged. The squad will go into quarantine for 14 days before playing three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals against Australia in Sydney and Canberra.

Kohli is expected to play in the limited-overs section of the tour and the day-night test match at the Adelaide Oval from Dec. 17-21 before returning to India to be with his wife Anushka Sharma, who is expecting the couple’s first child in January.

The test series has been delayed and the schedule altered because of travel restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second test will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from Dec. 26 in the traditional Boxing Day timing, with the third test in Sydney from Jan. 7-11 and the fourth at the Gabba in Brisbane from Jan. 15-19.

In the other major selection update, the BCCI said Rohit Sharma would skip the limited-overs games but would be added to the test squad for the series in Australia. Sharma has been playing for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL despite concerns over his fitness.

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