Cricket World Cup 2023: Virat Kohli Finally Leaves For Thiruvananthapuram To Join Team, Will Head To Chennai Next, Check PIC

Former India captain Virat Kohli spent a couple of day with wife Anushka Sharma in Mumbai due to 'personal reason' and will be heading to Chennai with the rest of Indian cricket team ahead of their World Cup 2023 opener on Sunday.

Virat Kohli with wife Anushka Sharma. (Photo: ANI)

Former India captain Virat Kohli has spent a few days away from Team India in the middle of their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign to spend time at home in Mumbai. There is speculation that Kohli and his Bollywood star wife Anushka Sharma are expecting their second child after daughter Vamika soon and the former skipper sought permission from the team management to fly back home to Mumbai from Guwahati ahead of the second warm-up match in Thiruvananthapuram.

However, on Tuesday evening, Kohli was seen at the Mumbai airport presumably headed to Thiruvananthapuram to rejoin the rest of the team. Team India’s second warm-up match against Netherlands at Thiruvananthapuram was also washed out due to rain on Tuesday just like their first game against England in Guwahati.

WATCH Virat Kohli at Mumbai airport on Tuesday night HERE…

Virat Kohli has left from Mumbai. [Instant Bollywood]

- King will join the Indian team soon. pic.twitter.com/H5h407Ap3E — Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 3, 2023

According to a report in the Cricbuzz website, Kohli after requesting permission from both the BCCI and the team management, departed the squad to attend to his ‘personal obligations’ in Mumbai, raising concerns over the health of wife Anushka Sharma. “Virat will rejoin the team later tonight and will accompany us to Chennai tomorrow,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz website.

Kohli would have been absent for the second warm-up match against the Netherlands at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, had it proceeded. However, the fixture was inevitably abandoned due to rain.

Kohli also had some prior engagement with the International Cricket Council (ICC), organisers of the World Cup. Following this, he will make his way to Chennai where India is slated to contest their opening ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 fixture against Australia on October 8.

On Wednesday, in Ahmedabad, the traditional captains’ photo-op is scheduled to occur, with all team leaders expected to converge in the city by evening. Indian captain will be headed to Ahmedabad on Wednesday and will then travel to Chennai from there. The Cricket World Cup will inaugurate in Ahmedabad on Thursday.