[Watch] Virat Kohli leaves for Bengaluru from Mumbai ahead of first Test against New Zealand
Former Indian captain Virat Kohli was spotted at the Mumbai airport on Sunday, October 13, departing for Bengaluru. The first Test of the three-match series against New Zealand will start on Wednesday, October 16, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The second Test will be held at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune beginning on October 24, while the final match will take place in Mumbai starting on November 1.
A few days ago, the Delhi-born cricketer arrived in Mumbai from London and is now headed to Bengaluru to join the team.
Here’s a video of Virat Kohli’s departure:
The 35-year-old was last seen in action during India's two-match Test series against Bangladesh at home. Kohli had a rough start, managing scores of 6 and 17 in the first game.
However, he rebounded in the second match, scoring a brisk 47 runs off 35 balls in the first innings and remaining unbeaten on 29 runs off 37 balls in the second, helping India achieve a clean sweep over Bangladesh.
Virat Kohli is only 53 runs away from becoming the fourth Indian to reach 9,000 Test runs
Virat Kohli has represented the nation in 115 Tests, scoring 8,947 runs at an average of 48.89, with 30 fifties and 29 centuries to his name. The right-handed batter only needs to score 53 more runs to become the fourth Indian to achieve 9,000 Test runs.
Kohli will play a significant role in India's success in the upcoming home series against New Zealand and the away tour of Australia later this year. The ace batter has a solid Test record against New Zealand, amassing 866 runs in 11 matches, including three fifties and as many hundreds.
Meanwhile, his numbers against Australia are impressive, with 2,042 runs at an average of 47.48 in 25 games, including five fifties and eight centuries.
In Australia, he has scored 1,352 runs in 13 matches at an average of 54.08, with six centuries, and he will look to replicate his success in the upcoming five-match Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy.