Virat Kohli has decided to take a break following the IPL 2024 season, resulting in a delayed arrival to join the India squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Kohli plans to travel to New York on May 30, which means he might miss India’s only warm-up match against Bangladesh on June 1.
The Indian Express reported that Kohli had informed the BCCI of his plans well in advance, even before the first group of Indian players, including captain Rohit Sharma, departed for the USA on Saturday evening.
“Kohli had notified us well ahead of time that he would be joining the team later, and accordingly, the BCCI scheduled his visa appointment for a later date. He is set to fly out to New York early on May 30. The BCCI has agreed to his request,” a BCCI official told the publication.
ALSO READ: ICC T20 World Cup 2024: Record-Breaking Fan Parks To Bring Cricket Fever Worldwide
In addition to Kohli, India’s T20I vice-captain and all-rounder Hardik Pandya, along with wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, will also join the team at a later date. Samson reportedly has personal matters to attend to in Dubai before linking up with the squad.
Breaking: Virat Kohli isn’t traveling to New York with the team due to visa delay. He’s now expected to fly out around May 30 🇮🇳🤯🤯
[via Vikrant Gupta] #T20WorldCup #tapmad #HojaoADFree pic.twitter.com/QHkkoRBj9G
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) May 25, 2024
During the IPL 2024 season, Kohli played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), participating in all 15 of their matches. RCB secured a playoff spot by finishing fourth in the league standings but were eliminated by Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator match. Kohli had an impressive season, amassing 741 runs in 15 innings, and currently leads the race for the Orange Cap, awarded to the tournament’s top scorer.
Meanwhile, other members of the Indian squad, including Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Dube, Mohammed Siraj, Axar Patel, and Shubman Gill, left Mumbai for the World Cup on Saturday night.
ALSO READ: Suresh Raina Talks About Pat Cummins’s Dressing Room Tactics
Following their warm-up match against Bangladesh, India will commence their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland in a Group A match on June 5, followed by a highly anticipated clash against Pakistan on June 9. India, who won the inaugural ICC World T20 in 2007, have not claimed the title since then. Their most recent appearance in the T20 World Cup saw them exiting at the semi-final stage.
