Former India captain Virat Kohli is unlikely to be a part of the national squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 — set to commence on June 2 — in the West Indies and USA, according to reports.
The report also claims that the selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) feel that Kohli’s batting won’t be suited to the slow pitch and conditions in the Caribbean, which is why he is likely to be dropped from the Indian team.
It is hard to believe that the selectors would take such a big call on Kohli’s future in the shortest format, especially given his resurgence in the recent past.
However, it seems as if the BCCI, the sport’s governing body in India, is focussing on the future stars and will give them more opportunities to showcase themselves at the international stage from now on.
Kohli on the other hand hasn’t played any cricket since featuring in the final two home T20Is against Afghanistan in January this year. He skipped the Test series against England in February-March citing personal reasons.
Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma blessed with a baby boy
Kohli and his wife, actress Anushka Sharma, welcomed a baby boy on February 15th. The couple revealed that the newborn has been named Akaay.
The 35-year-old will return to action in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, where he will be playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, under the leadership of Faf du Plessis.
RCB will kickstart IPL 2024 with their opening match against defending champions Chennai Super Kings. Kohli will face his former India captain MS Dhoni at the MA Chidambaram stadium on March 22.
(The article is published under a mutual content partnership arrangement between The Free Press Journal and Connected to India)