Indian team arrives in Thiruvananthapuram without Virat Kohli: Reports

Team India landed in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday for the second warm-up match but without Virat Kohli. The senior batter had reportedly requested permission from the team management to allow him to join the team later citing a personal emergency.

India’s first World Cup 2023 warm-up match against England at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati was washed out due to rain without a ball being bowled. Their next practice game will be against the Netherlands at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, October 3.

According to a report in Cricbuzz, Kohli flew to Mumbai from Guwahati but is expected to join the Indian team in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.

A source from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed to the website that the cricketer flew back to Mumbai due to personal reasons and that he will rejoin the team soon. The other members of the Indian team arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday and received a traditional welcome.

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India’s form heading into World Cup 2023

Team India have been in impressive form heading into the 2023 World Cup. They won the Asia Cup comprehensively. After defeating Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super 4 round, they thumped the Lankans by 10 wickets in the final in Colombo.

The Men in Blue also registered a 2-1 ODI series win at home against Australia, their last assignment ahead of the World Cup. They won the first two matches before going down in the dead rubber.

Team India will begin their World Cup 2023 campaign with a match against Australia in Chennai on October 8. The tournament will kick off with a rematch of the 2019 final between England and New Zealand in Ahmedabad.

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India’s World Cup 2023 squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.