Virat Kohli decided to take a much-needed rest and stay back for a few more days before joining India team ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. Rohit Sharma and co are currently in New York preparing for the mega event which will start from 2nd June.
Virat Kohli and his wife, Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, were seen out for dinner in Mumbai with former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan and his wife, Sagarika Ghatge. The celebrity couples were captured in a video leaving a restaurant on Tuesday, May 28.
Virat Kohli yet to join India squad for T20 World Cup in NY
Kohli has not yet joined the first batch of his teammates who departed for New York from Mumbai on June 25. Among those who left early were Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja, all heading to the USA for the T20 World Cup, co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies from June 1 to June 29.
According to reports, the delay in Kohli’s travel was due to pending paperwork. Reports suggest that Kohli is expected to arrive in the USA on May 30, just in time for India’s only warm-up match against Bangladesh on June 1 in New York. His participation in the match remains uncertain.
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Notably, several Indian cricketers, including Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and Rinku Singh, have yet to join the Rohit Sharma-led team in New York. Head coach Rahul Dravid also left with the first batch of players on Saturday, a day before the IPL 2024 final. India will begin their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign on June 5 against Ireland in New York, followed by a highly anticipated match against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 9.
Kohli in red-hot form ahead of T20 WC
Kohli’s recent stint playing for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2024, where the team reached the playoffs has been quite impressive. Despite concerns regarding his strike rate, Kohli won the Orange Cap with 741 runs in 15 matches, However, RCB were unable to progress past the Eliminator, losing to Rajasthan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 22.
Kohli was India’s leading run-scorer in the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, accumulating 296 runs, including four fifties, in six matches. His performance will be crucial for India’s success in the upcoming tournament.