Virat Kohli to skip ODIs, T20Is in South Africa: Report

Virat Kohli will not be part of the Indian cricket team squad for the short formats in South Africa. India will tour South Africa in two weeks time with the first T20I taking place in Durban on 10 December.

Kohli, the highest-scorer at the ODI World Cup, has informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about his decision. India are set to play three T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests on the journey to South Africa.

Kohli, however, is expected to feature only in the Test matches, as per an Indian Express report.

“He (Kohli) has informed the BCCI and selectors that he needs a break from white-ball cricket and he will get back to them about when he wants to play white ball cricket next. At the moment he has informed the BCCI that he will be playing red-ball cricket, which means he is available for selection for the two Test matches in South Africa,” a source is quoted as saying.

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Kohli scored 765 runs in 11 innings during the World Cup. His stupendous scoring feat in the tournament earned him the Player of the Tournament honour.

India’s squad for the forthcoming tour will be selected in the coming few days. The team is currently involved in a five-match T20I series against Australia.

The first Test begins on 26 December at Centurion with the second in Cape Town from 3 January, 2024.

Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the Indian cricket team captain, are currently on holiday in the United Kingdom. Both have taken some much-needed breaks after a draining six-week tournament which culminated in an emotional loss in the final.

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Kohli had last taken this long a break following the tour of England in 2022. He had skipped the series against West Indies and Zimbabwe. Upon return, he opened up and admitted that he was trying to ‘fake his intensity’ at some points.

“For the first time in 10 years, I didn’t touch my bat for a month. I haven’t done that ever in my life. I came to the realisation that I was trying to kind of fake my intensity a bit recently. ‘I can do it, you’re competitive’, you’re convincing yourself you have the intensity but your body is telling you to stop, your mind is telling you to just take a break and step back."

“And it’s packed, I understand what Ravi bhai (Ravi Shastri) has mentioned, he’s mentioned about the volume of cricket and of how I’ve played 40 or 50% more than anyone in the last ten years. So it’s very easy to ignore these things (because) you’re fit, you’re working hard on yourself’, Kohli had told Star Sports.