3 times a captain had to go home in the middle of a series

Players opting out of a series midway through, citing personal reasons or due to injuries, are nothing new. With tight schedules on offer, many cricketers, including captains, have also opted out of various games to get adequate rest and recharge their batteries.

Australian Test captain Pat Cummins also recently traveled back to Sydney due to a family emergency amid the ongoing four-match Test series against India. He left the squad soon after the second Test in Delhi to be with his family in difficult times.

On that note, let's take a look at three instances when a captain had to go home in the middle of a series.

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#3 Pat Cummins

Australian skipper Pat Cummins traveled back to Australia soon after the second Test ended at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The 29-year-old had to visit his home in Sydney for a brief period due to a family illness.

However, the seasoned fast bowler is expected to rejoin the squad ahead of the third Test at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore, which gets underway on Wednesday, March 1.

If he fails to join the team on time, Steve Smith is likely to lead the side.

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#2 Rohit Sharma

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma suffered a finger injury while fielding during the second ODI against Bangladesh in Dhaka. He was eventually ruled out of the third ODI and the next two Tests against the Bangla Tigers and returned to Mumbai to get additional treatment.

KL Rahul led the side in all three matches. Although India lost the ODI series by a 2-1 margin, they inflicted a whitewash in the two-match Test series, winning it 2-0.

Rohit returned to action during the ODI series against New Zealand and is currently seen leading the side in the four-match home Test series against Australia.

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#1 Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, who was the captain of the Indian team for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21, left the Australian shores after a humiliating defeat in the first Test at the Adelaide Oval.

The former Indian captain traveled back to India to be with his wife Anushka Sharma for the birth of their first child, Vamika.

Ajinkya Rahane took over the reins and scripted an epic comeback. India won the next Test to level the series before winning the final Test at the Gabba to win the four-match Border Gavaskar Trophy by a 2-1 margin.

The victory in Brisbane while chasing 328 runs is one of India's most memorable Test wins.

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