NEW DELHI: Star batter Virat Kohli remains the only player from India's T20 World Cup squad who has yet to arrive in the USA. While the other 18 cricketers, including four reserves, began their training session in New York on Wednesday, Kohli's arrival is still pending.
Kohli was recently seen in Mumbai with his wife Anushka Sharma and former India cricketer Zaheer Khan and he has reportedly requested an extended break after the grueling two-month-long Indian Premier League.
"There has been no update on his travel status from the BCCI yet," reported ESPNCricinfo. Kohli last played on May 22 in the IPL Eliminator, where his team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, was knocked out by Rajasthan Royals.
According to PTI, Kohli is expected to reach New York on Friday.
"Kohli took a break for personal work after RCB's IPL ouster and in all likelihood, he will join the squad by Friday," the news agency stated.
However, doubts remain about Kohli's availability for India's only warm-up match against Bangladesh on Sunday, June 1.
"It is not clear if he would be able to take part in the only warm-up game against Bangladesh on Saturday after a long flight," PTI wrote.
Kohli had a stellar IPL season, winning the Orange Cap for the second time with 741 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 154.70.
India will start their campaign on June 5 against Ireland in New York, followed by a highly anticipated match against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 9. They will face hosts USA on June 12 before moving to Lauderhill, Florida, for a game against Canada on June 15.
