Virat Kohli flies back to Mumbai due to ‘personal emergency’
Star batter is expected to return in time for the Netherlands clash
October 02, 2023
Indian batter Virat Kohli reportedly flew back to Mumbai from Guwahati due to a "personal emergency" as the Men in Blue arrived in Trivandrum for their second warm-up game against the Netherlands, India media reported on Monday.
NDTV reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) hasn't confirmed if Kohli will miss the warm-up game.
The report claimed that the star batter will return in time and join his teammates for India's clash against The Netherlands on October 02.
"A source from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that he went to Mumbai for personal reasons. Virat will rejoin the team soon," Cricbuzz quoted a source as saying.
The development comes amid rumours of his wife and Indian actress Anushka Sharma's pregnancy circulating on social media.
Various entertainment outlets in India reported that the power couple is expecting their second child and is currently awaiting an opportune moment to make an official announcement.
It is speculated that the actress has consciously maintained a low profile and restricted her public appearances to stay away from public scrutiny and prevent further speculation, according to the Khaleej Times.
While these rumours initially began circulating earlier, they gained considerable traction following Anushka's recent festival-related Instagram post, where she was seen saree-clad in all the photos.
Anushka and Kohli got married in 2017 and welcomed their first daughter Vamika, in January 2021.
India's first warm-up match between against England was called off due to unfavorable weather conditions in Guwahati. They will have one more opportunity to test their playing XI against the Netherlands on Tuesday. India's opening match in the ICC World Cup 2023 is set to take place against Australia in Chennai on October 8.
India World Cup squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav.
