File pic of Virat Kohli.© AFP
Virat Kohli was not part of the recently-concluded Twenty20 International (T20I) series at home against New Zealand, which India clean swept 3-0. He will also miss the opening Test against the visiting New Zealanders that starts on Thursday but will return to lead the team in the second and final Test in Mumbai, starting on December 3. Kohli has had a packed schedule and is taking a break from the hectic bio-bubble life but that has stopped him from putting in the hard yards and continuing to sweat it out. The Indian superstar on Tuesday shared a couple of pictures from his practice session at The Cricket Club of India (CCI) in Mumbai and he also got a surprise visit from a “cool cat”.
“A quick hello from a cool cat at practice,” Virat Kohli captioned his post on Twitter.
A quick hello from a cool cat at practicepic.twitter.com/0qeW9biUqo
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) November 23, 2021
Kohli captained India for the final time in T20Is at the T20 World Cup. Before the start of the ICC tournament, Kohli had already announced that he would be quitting as India T20I captain.
The tournament also marked the end of head coach Ravi Shastri’s tenure. India, though, flopped at the T20 World Cup, failing to qualify for the semi-finals after finishing third in Group 2 in the Super 12 stage behind toppers Pakistan and New Zealand.
India had left themselves a mountain to climb after losing their opening two games to Pakistan and New Zealand. It meant that India were left needing favours from some other teams, but there was none coming with India having to make an early exit.
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The T20I team now has a new leader at the helm in Rohit Sharma, whose full-captaincy era got off to a brilliant start with a 3-0 thumping of New Zealand.
The focus now shifts to the Tests where India will be captained by Ajinkya Rahane in the first Test in Kohli’s absence.
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