Will he or won’t he? Virat Kohli finally made a brief public appearance before joining the Indian squad for the ICC World T20 2024 on Thursday. After a run-fest season in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper has left for the United States. Kohli was spotted by the paparazzi at the airport as the former India skipper is set to link up with Rohit Sharma’s Team India ahead of their warm-up game against Bangladesh.
The 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup might be the final chance for Kohli and Rohit to end India’s title drought in ICC events. The next T20 World Cup is in 2026 – jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Skipper Rohit would be approaching 40, and Kohli will be 38. India will play the next 50-over World Cup in 2027. Thus, both Kohli and Rohit will aim to leave the grandest stage with a winner’s medal around their neck in the US and the Caribbean.
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Watch: Virat Kohli’s special gesture for young fan at airport
Kohli regains top-form in build-up to T20 World Cup
Run-machine Kohli retained his place in the Indian T20I squad during the league stage of the IPL 2024. Leading the batting charge of the RCB franchise, Kohli smashed 741 runs in 15 games of the IPL 2024. Kohli-starrer RCB side made it to the playoffs stage of the cash-rich league. The 35-year-old scored 33 in RCB’s defeat to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL Eliminator. Kohli claimed the Orange Cap for the second time in his impressive IPL career. The former RCB skipper bagged the Orange Cap for the first time in 2016. Kohli had accumulated 973 runs during the 2016 season.
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Kohli was the last player to join the Indian camp for the T20 World Cup. Hardik Pandya and Kohli were the notable absentees in the first batch of arrivals earlier this week. Skipper Rohit, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel arrived in New York on Sunday. Team India will play their only World Cup warm-up against Bangladesh at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Stay updated with the latest cricket news, T20 World Cup 2024 updates, and match highlights. Explore the World Cup Schedule 2024, track the World Cup Points Table, follow Virat Kohli’s performance, and stay ahead with the stats on World Cup Most Wickets and World Cup Most Runs on the Hindustan Times website and app.