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The Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team arrived in New York without Virat Kohli for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024, which begins on June 1 in the USA and Caribbean.
The first group of Indian players, including Rohit, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel, landed in New York on May 26. In addition to Kohli, Hardik Pandya was also not part of this initial group.
Is Virat Kohli going to miss India’s warm-up game against Bangladesh?
However, Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya and other players joined the team in New York before their first training session on May 29, leaving Virat Kohli as the only absentee from the T20 World Cup 2024 squad.
With all players, including the traveling reserves, now in the USA for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, there is speculation about Kohli’s availability for India’s only warm-up match against Bangladesh at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Saturday, June 1.
Reports suggest that the former Indian captain might miss the warm-up game against the Tigers, and there is uncertainty about when the IPL 2024 Orange Cap winner will join the team in New York.
Virat Kohli departs for ICC T20 World Cup 2024
Putting an end to all speculations, the dynamic right-handed batsman departed for the USA on Thursday, May 30, for the imminent ICC T20 World Cup 2024. He was sighted at Mumbai Airport on Thursday evening, en route to the tournament. Kohli found himself once more surrounded by fans and photographers as he made his way towards the departure gate.
In a widely circulated video, the Indian cricket stalwart engaged with both the paparazzi and his admirers outside the airport. When the photographers expressed gratitude for the gift presented during the birth of his son Akaay, Kohli promptly credited his wife Anushka Sharma.
He told the paparazzi, “Ma’am ne diya bhai, Maine nehi diya (Anushka gave the gifts, not me).” Kohli has also won hearts by signing autographs for the fans at the airport.
Nevertheless, it’s unclear whether Kohli will take part in India’s sole warm-up match against Bangladesh following his lengthy flight from Mumbai to New York. However, his departure has definitively laid to rest all speculation about his brief hiatus and his availability right from the start of the prestigious tournament.
Virat Kohli is poised to play a pivotal role in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 journey.
Kohli aims to maintain his scorching form from IPL 2024 into the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, where India will open their campaign against Ireland on June 5 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, followed by a highly anticipated clash with Pakistan on June 9.
Having secured the Orange Cap with a remarkable 741 runs in the IPL 2024, the former RCB captain is anticipated to play a pivotal role in Team India’s quest for glory at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
With 1,141 runs in just 27 matches, Kohli stands as the leading run-scorer in T20 World Cup history, boasting an impressive average of 81.5 and a strike rate of 131. Nonetheless, he aims to enhance his strike rate in the upcoming edition of the tournament.
