Virat Kohli last played a competitive match in January this year and will be looking to make a mark in the IPL with the T20 World Cup around the corner.
Virat Kohli took the field at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday for the first time since he last played a competitive cricket match in January this year. Kohli joined the rest of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad in their training session at their home venue and will return to the sport after a lengthy break when they face Chennai Super Kings at the Chepauk Stadium in the season opener of the 2024 season of the IPL on Friday.
Kohli on Sunday was seen speaking to RCB women’s captain Smriti Mandhana via a video call soon after they won the 2024 WPL final against Delhi Capitals.(PTI)
RCB put up a video of Kohli arriving at the team hotel and checking out their gym facilities. “It’s really good to be back, firstly playing cricket and just starting off the IPL,” Kohli says in the video. In videos posted by fans on social media, the former captain can be seen taking part in catching drills and a game of football. He also could be seen interacting with Du Plessis on numerous occasions.
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“It’s always exciting to come back to Bangalore for the start of the IPL season. So, similar emotions, similar feelings and I haven’t been off the media radar. I have been into the normalcy, you can say, for two months. So, yeah, I am pretty happy and excited to be back and I hope all the fans are excited and happy as well,” said Kohli.
Kohli’s first training session this season with RCB
Kohli joined the rest of the RCB squad in a training session on Monday at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The former captain seemed to be his typical self, dilligently taking part in fielding drills and joking around with his teammates. On Sunday, Kohli was seen speaking to RCB women’s captain Smriti Mandhana via a video call soon after they won the 2024 WPL final against Delhi Capitals. He will also be present at RCB Unbox – an event organised by the franchise to launch their IPL campaign, where they will also felicitate the Mandhana and her WPL title-winning team.
Kohli’s performances in the league will be keenly watched by the Indian selectors, with the T20 World Cup coming closely on the heels of the 2024 IPL. There have been rumours of selectors pondering over dropping Kohli from the squad for the tournament. RCB, who have never won the IPL, begin their campaign against reigning champions Chennai Super Kings in Chennai on Friday. Kohli hadn’t played T20Is for India throughout 2023. He played his first international game in the format since the T20 World Cup in 2022 against Afghanistan on January 14 this year. Kohli didn’t make much of a mark in the two matches, scoring 29 off 16 in the first and then being dismissed for a golden duck in the second.
