Virat Kohli yet to join Indian squad; expected to play World Cup 2023 warm-up game against the Netherlands - Reports
Superstartar Indian batter Virat Kohli is yet to join the squad ahead of their ICC ODI World Cup warm-up fixture against The Netherlands on Tuesday, October 3. According to reports from Cricbuzz, Kohli hadn't been in Thiruvananthapuram, the venue for the fixture with the team as of "late Monday evening."
Team India flew from Guwahati to Thiruvananthapuram for their second warm-up fixture a few days back. Meanwhile, Kohli reportedly headed to Mumbai due to a personal emergency and it was expected that he would be back with the squad on Monday.
While there was a bit of confusion about Kohli's availability, the Indian team management is confident of having him available for the warm-up game on Tuesday. Here's what a team official was quoted as saying to Cricbuzz:
"He (Virat Kohli) will be arriving soon and should be available for selection in tomorrow's game."
India's warm-up game against England was washed out due to rain in Guwahati on September 30. However, according to the reports, most of the squad had a good hit-out in the KCA - St. Xaviers College Cricket Ground on Monday afternoon.
Virat Kohli will be a dangerman for every team: Mohammad Amir
Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has claimed that he was a huge fan of Virat Kohli. He believes the superstar batter will be a menace for a number of teams at the 2023 World Cup.
Amir recalled Kohli's sensational unbeaten 82 against Pakistan in last year's T20 World Cup and credited him for being fearless no matter what the situation. Here's what he told TOI:
"The word 'pressure' is not there in Virat's cricketing dictionary. If you ask Virat, he will surely say that that knock vs Pakistan (T20 World Cup 2022) was the best innings of his life.
"Virat will be a dangerman for every team in the World Cup. He is in top and red-hot form. His confidence is at another level at the moment."
Fans in Thiruvananthapuram will want Kohli to be available against the Netherlands to watch him play. If he does miss out on the game, the former Indian skipper is expected to play in their World Cup opener against Australia on October 8.