A recent report disclosed that Virat Kohli had travelled to London during the break and it was not due to a family emergency. Ahead of the start of the two-match Test series in South Africa, Kohli had reportedly returned home for a ‘family emergency’, taking permission from the team management and the BCCI to skip the intra-squad match. Although he did rejoin the Indian side and participated in practice on December 24.
As reported by News 18, the BCCI and the Indian team management were aware of Kohli's trip to London, and he was never scheduled to play in the intra-squad game held in Pretoria from December 20 to 22.
“Virat Kohli wasn’t going to play that game. The team management was aware of his plan and schedule, and it isn’t something which happened overnight or due to a family emergency. Look at the player in question, it’s Virat Kohli. He is very well planned when it comes to these things and his London trip was communicated and planned well in advance,” a senior BCCI official told News 18.
The 35-year-old journeyed to South Africa on December 15, engaged in training with the Indian team for three days, and subsequently departed for London on December 19.
“Kohli left India for South Africa on December 15. Had good 3-4 training sessions before he went to London on December 19. For the next few days, he was in London and has now linked up with the Test squad and will in all likelihood train in Centurion tomorrow,” added the official.
Kohli was seen practising at the nets and later engaged in a brief conversation with India's head coach Rahul Dravid during the team's extensive training session on December 24. The Indian team is scheduled to have another training session on Christmas afternoon before the commencement of the opening Test match of the series in Centurion on Boxing Day. The Rohit sharma-led side will play their second test on January 3 in Newlands, preceded by a practice camp in Cape Town starting December 31.
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