Virat Kohli has linked up with the India squad in New York on Friday for the T20 World Cup 2024, days after his team-mates arrived. However, it is still unclear if he will play the warm-up game against Bangladesh at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on June 1.
Kohli, who is coming on the back of a superb IPL season where he scored 741 runs in 15 games, will still get three net sessions before the first game against Ireland on June 5.
There was an optional training session on Friday morning in which the likes of Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube and Mohammed Siraj sweated it out under the guidance of the support staff.
The team management and the BCCI have made exceptions for Kohli in the past too. He was permitted a break before the South Africa Test series last year to leave for the UK for personal reasons before rejoining the squad. He skipped the entire England Test series at home earlier this year for the birth of his second child.
The Indian team travelled to New York in batches, with players from teams eliminated after the league stage of IPL 2024 travelling first, except Hardik Pandya, who reached after a break, followed by players as and when their teams were eliminated from the playoffs. Kohli has so far missed three training sessions.
India’s first game at the World Cup will be on June 5, against Ireland, followed by group-stage fixtures against Pakistan on June 9, USA on June 12, and Canada on June 15. The first three games will be played in New York and the last in Lauderhill, Florida.
