India’s star batter, Virat Kohli, reportedly had to make an unexpected trip back to Mumbai from Guwahati due to a reported ‘personal emergency,’ just as the rest of the Indian squad arrived in Trivandrum for their World Cup second warm-up match against the Netherlands.
While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not officially confirmed whether Virat Kohli will miss the IND vs NED warm-up match, there are reports suggesting that he will rejoin his teammates in time for the Netherlands clash on October 2.
The nature of the personal emergency remains undisclosed, but there is speculation in the media that Virat Kohli and his Bollywood actress wife, Anushka Sharma, may be expecting their second child, after the birth of their daughter Vamika three years ago.
“A source from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that he went to Mumbai for personal reasons. Virat will rejoin the team soon,” a BCCI source was confirmed as saying by Cricbuzz website. The rest of the squad arrived in the Kerala following a four-hour flight on Sunday evening.
Virat Kohli-less Team India arrives in Trivandrum
The Indian team encountered adverse weather conditions that had been persisting from the eastern to the southern regions. Their initial warm-up match against England, the defending champions, was canceled without a single ball being played, leading to concerns that the upcoming game might face a similar fate.
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According to Accuweather, the weather forecast for October 3 in Thiruvananthapuram predicts a 97% chance of daytime rain and a 46% chance of rain. Moreover, there is a substantial 91% likelihood of nighttime rain, with temperatures expected to be in the range of 25-30 degrees Celsius.
After the warm-up match against the Netherlands, Team India will start their participation in the ODI World Cup with their first game against Australia on October 8. It’s important to note that India had recently triumphed over Australia with a 2-1 win in a three-match ODI series on their home ground.