ODI World Cup: Virat Kohli Spotted at Mumbai Airport, Set to Rejoin Team India
For personal reasons that had to come up quickly, Virat Kohli left Guwahati for home on September 30.
Virat Kohli was sighted at Mumbai airport on Tuesday evening on his way back to the Indian team ahead of the ODI World Cup in 2023. Kohli returned to Mumbai for personal reasons prior to the warm-up match against the Netherlands. The former India captain also skipped Monday's optional practise session to fly home.
According to a PTI report, the batting legend departed Guwahati for home on September 30 due to an essential personal matter.
"It was an elective session." He is likely to join the squad shortly and may participate in the warm-up game if necessary," a BCCI source close to the situation told PTI on condition of anonymity.
He was sighted at the Mumbai airport on Tuesday evening, about to board a flight to join the team.
Meanwhile, India's second World Cup warm-up match against the Netherlands was rained out on Tuesday due to heavy rain. The game was called off before a ball was bowled. The hosts' first warm-up encounter against England suffered a similar fate last week in Guwahati.
As a result, India is the only side that will compete in the World Cup without batting or bowling in the warm-up matches. On Sunday, India will kick off their campaign against Australia in Chennai.
In addition to Kohli, skipper Rohit Sharma, batter Shreyas Iyer, and bowler Mohammed Shami did not attend the session, which was also attended by Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and senior spin combination Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
With two warm-up matches cancelled owing to weather, the Indian management faces a difficult problem in determining their team combination. When it comes to finishing their middle-order and bowling departments, they have a plethora of issues.
Meanwhile, an overwhelming performance in the Asia Cup followed by a dominant display with the willow against Australia put the Indian team in a positive frame of mind heading into the ODI final, although issues persist in determining the best playing XI.
India's campaign against Australia begins on October 8 in Chennai.