Will Virat Kohli skip ODI series: A lot of speculations are being made around the former Indian white-ball captain’s availability.
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Former white-ball captain Virat Kohli’s availability for the upcoming ODI series in South Africa has become the centre of attraction in the Indian media. It was only less than a week ago that Kohli was replaced by his deputy Rohit Sharma as the captain of the Indian ODI team.
While debates regarding Kohli’s demotion were yet to be settled, fresh reports of him making himself unavailable for the three-match series ODI series have acted as fuel to fire as far as fans’ perception of an alleged rift between Kohli and Sharma is concerned.
“Yes, Kohli has asked for a small break in January to spend more time with his family. It effectively means that he would miss the ODI series against South Africa,” a source was quoted as saying by PTI to kick-start rumours around Kohli’s availability.
Will Virat Kohli skip South Africa vs India ODI series?
A follow-up to this development came in the form of another source stating that Kohli hasn’t made any such request to the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) as of now.
Since morning, it is being said that Kohli would be missing the ODI series for family reasons as his daughter Vamika Kohli will turn one on January 11. However, the same is unlikely to be a reason as Kohli will be playing his 100th Test in Cape Town from January 11. Meanwhile, the ODI series will commence from January 19 in Paarl.
“As of now, Kohli hasn’t sent any formal request to skip the ODIs to either BCCI President Sourav Ganguly or secretary Jay Shah. If something is decided at a later date or God forbid, he sustains an injury, then it’s a different matter. As things stand today, he is playing the three ODIs on January 19, 21, 23,” the latest source told PTI.
“The skipper is travelling with his family. But yes, if he feels bubble fatigue after the Test series and wants to take a break, he would definitely inform the chairman of selectors and secretary (Shah), who is the convenor of the selection committee.”
Considering the poor manner in which BCCI announced Kohli’s demotion in the ODI team to the world, one expects the board to provide an official update in this matter.
