India vs England: Virat Kohli & Co reach Rajkot for first Test

Rajkot: Indian cricket team, led by skipper Virat Kohli, arrived here this morning for the first game of the five-match Test series against England, starting at Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) stadium at Khandheri from November 9.

Gautam Gambhir, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav and Amit Mishra arrived here around 8.25 am along with Kohli and other team members, SCA media manager Himanshu Shah said.

Local players Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja have joined the team while Hardik Pandya would come by road and join the team within a couple of hours, Shah said.

Kohli, who turns 28 today, is likely to celebrate his birthday at Hotel Imperial here where the Indian team has been put up. Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma accompanied Kohli, Shah said.

Meanwhile, a large number of cricket lovers gathered at the Rajkot airport with cakes and gifts for Kohli.

However, the Indian skipper headed straight to the hotel along with the actress.