Virat Kohli to miss World Cup warm-up match vs Netherlands? Team India reaches Thiruvananthapuram without ex-IND skipper

Following a rain-soaked warm-up encounter against the reigning champions England in Guwahati on Saturday, which ended without a ball being bowled, Team India is ready for their second and last 2023 ODI World Cup warm-up match.

At the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, the Men in Blue will take on the Netherlands, who advanced to their fifth World Cup appearance after placing second behind Sri Lanka in the Qualifiers event. Virat Kohli, the former captain of India, might not be available for the game, though.

A report on Cricbuzz claims that Team India took a special aircraft on Sunday evening to travel from Guwahati to Thiruvananthapuram, a four-hour flight; however, Kohli was not on the team.

Due to a personal situation, the seasoned No. 3 hitter asked the club management for a leave of absence and returned to Mumbai via plane from Guwahati.

In their final warm-up match on Tuesday, India will be hoping for some cricket action, but Thiruvananthapuram's weather has other ideas. It is predicted to be "Cloudy with a couple of showers and a thunderstorm" on Tuesday, per Accuweather.

There is a 96% chance of precipitation and a 46% chance of a thunderstorm. Rain has impacted three warm-up matches thus far, two of which were held in Thiruvananthapuram. The South Africa-Afghanistan match washed out, and the Australia-Netherlands match was cut down to a 23-overs match before being cancelled.

Although the loss of India's second warm-up match may not come as a huge surprise, skipper Rohit Sharma is probably not going to let it get to him, having described these matches as just "formality" for Team India, who have been a busy squad leading up to the World Cup.

Prior to defeating Australia at home in a three-match series last week, India emerged victorious from the Asia Cup two weeks ago. India's World Cup campaign kicks off against Australia in Chennai on October 8.