Need break, will get back to you when I want to play next: Virat Kohli informs BCCI selectors
New Delhi: After securing the title of the top run-scorer in the recently concluded ODI World Cup, former India captain Virat Kohli has opted to skip the upcoming white-ball matches in India's South Africa tour. The tour is set to commence with a T20 International on December 10 in Durban.
According to The Indian Express, Kohli has conveyed his decision to take a break from white-ball cricket to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Although he is expected to participate in the Test matches, the precise timeline for his return to white-ball cricket remains uncertain.
A source from The Indian Express stated, "He (Kohli) has informed the BCCI and selectors that he needs a break from white-ball cricket and will get back to them about when he wants to play white-ball cricket next." The source added, "At the moment, he has informed the BCCI that he will be playing red-ball cricket, which means he is available for selection for the two Test matches in South Africa."
The South Africa tour encompasses three T20 internationals, three One Day Internationals (ODIs), and two Test matches. Kohli's decision to forgo the limited-overs segment follows his outstanding performance in the World Cup, where he amassed 765 runs in 11 innings, including three centuries, earning him the Player of the Tournament title.
The first Test of the tour is scheduled for Boxing Day at Centurion, followed by the second Test in Cape Town. Presently on vacation in London, Kohli is taking a well-deserved break after an intense period of continuous cricket. His last break, alongside captain Rohit Sharma, was before the World Cup in September, where they were rested for the first two ODIs against Australia at home.
The availability of Rohit Sharma for the white-ball games remains uncertain. Rohit, currently on a break in the United Kingdom, led India to ten consecutive wins in the World Cup before their defeat in the final.
The national selection committee, led by former Indian all-rounder Ajit Agarkar, is set to convene soon to select the Indian team for all three formats of the South Africa tour. Additionally, BCCI secretary Jay Shah is expected to hold discussions with Rohit and chairman of selectors Agarkar to outline the future roadmap for the Indian cricket team.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Koppala: Class 9 student drowns while swimming in lake
Koppala: A student drowned while swimming in a lake in Mainahalli village under the Alavandi police station limits.
The deceased has been identified as Fakira Gowda, a class 9 student of Mainahalli High School and a resident of Handral village. On Tuesday evening, Fakira Gowda went swimming with his friends around 4 PM but did not resurface.
His friends quickly informed a teacher at the school, who, along with two others, searched the water. It was later discovered that Fakira Gowda had drowned, reportedly getting stuck in the mud.
