South Africa vs India

Senior Cricket Board official clears air about Virat Kohli’s unexpected exit, reveals his return date

Senior board official revealed the real reason behind Kohli's unexpected exit and his joining back date.

Dec 24, 2023 12:20 pm

Virat Kohli is back with the Indian squad after a short hiatus. Virat Kohli was with the Indian squad from December 15th and had a good 3-4 sessions with the team before an unexpected break which left the fans worrying. Firstly, it was reported that Virat Kohli had left the Indian camp due to some personal emergency and he may or may not join back before the first test.

But now it is learned that Virat has left for a short London trip which was communicated to the management and the board well in advance which is why he missed the intra-squad match on the 20th.

An Indian Cricket Board official was quoted in a recent report where he said, “Virat Kohli wasn’t going to play that game. The team management was aware of his plan and schedule, and it isn’t something that happened overnight or due to a family emergency. Look at the player in question, it’s Virat Kohli. He is very well planned when it comes to these things and his London trip was communicated and planned well in advance.”

The Board Official said that Virat had a decent 3-4 practice sessions before leaving for London and will be joining the Indian squad well enough to have 1-2 practice sessions more before the first Test. He said, “Kohli left India for South Africa on December 15. Had good 3-4 training sessions before he went to London on December 19. For the next few days, he was in London and has now linked up with the Test squad and will in all likelihood train in Centurion tomorrow.”

South African coach is confident of keeping their home record against India intact

Meanwhile, South Africa’s head coach, Shukri Conrad, expresses confidence that India will not be able to conquer the historic ‘Final Frontier’ in their Test history, despite his frontline pacers Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi returning to practice ahead of the ‘Boxing Day’ Test.

Rabada had been rested from the white-ball leg due to a heel niggle, while Ngidi had withdrawn after sustaining a left ankle injury before the T20Is. On Saturday afternoon, Rabada and Ngidi were actively bowling at full intensity on the central training wicket at the Supersport Park. They were pitted against Dean Elgar, who is playing in his final series.