After Virat Kohli withdrew from the first two Test matches against England, Kevin Pietersen expressed his support for the player.

India has won two of their last four matches and have a PCT (Points Percentage System) of 54.16, placing them second in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023–25 points standings. Australia is at the top.Following Virat Kohli's decision to withdraw from the first two Tests of the five-match series against England, which begins on January 25 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad, the former captain of England, Kevin Pietersen, has spoken out in favour of the cricket player.Pietersen expressed his support for Virat on the social media site "X," which was once Twitter, and asked others to "respect" the decision. "Respect it if a sportsmen withdraws for personal reasons! "End of!" Pietersen contributed to X. For the uninitiated, Virat asked to be removed from the first two Test matches against England by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), alleging personal concerns, and the board granted his request. "Virat has communicated with Captain Rohit Sharma, the team management, and the selectors, emphasizing that although serving his nation has always come first, there are personal matters that require his full 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," a press release issued by the BCCI stated.The nation's premier cricket organization also asked supporters to "support the Indian cricket team as they embark on the upcoming challenges in the Test series" and "respect Virat Kohli's privacy during this time and refrain from speculating on the nature of his personal reasons."