Virat Kohli has returned to the Indian cricket team for the preparations leading up to the first Test against South Africa on December 26. Contrary to speculation, Kohli’s trip to London was planned, and both the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Indian team management were aware of it well in advance. Kohli, who trained with the squad for three days before traveling to London, has now reunited with the team ahead of the Boxing Day Test.
The BCCI clarified that Kohli’s absence from the inter-squad game in Pretoria from December 20 to December 22 was pre-planned, and the star batter had communicated his schedule beforehand. Kohli, having left for South Africa on December 15, spent a few days with the team before departing for London on December 19. He is expected to participate in training in Centurion tomorrow.
The Indian team, led by Rohit Sharma, is gearing up for the Boxing Day Test, with training sessions scheduled for December 24 and December 25. After the first Test, the team will travel to Cape Town on December 31 to prepare for the second Test starting on January 3 at Newlands.
However, India will miss the services of Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, and Ruturaj Gaikwad in the series due to various reasons. While no replacement was named for Shami, KS Bharat and Abhimanyu Easwaran have been included in the Test squad in place of Kishan and Gaikwad, respectively. The team has undergone some changes, with Harshit Rana ruled out due to injury in the India ‘A’ squad for the match against South Africa ‘A’.
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