India made a very impressive outing during their only warm-up game against Bangladesh at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, in New York, on June 01, with a fabulous 60-run victory over Bangladesh, during the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. Virat Kohli, however, missed the game due to his late arrival in the city.
Rishabh Pant, the wicket-keeper batter for India, coming at number three in the batting order, celebrated his unbeaten fifty before getting retired out. Their supreme all-rounder Hardik Pandya, too made a rollicking beginning in the competition with the bat in hand.
The left-arm pace of Arshdeep Singh, and Jasprit Bumrah was too hot to handle for the opponents who could put up 122/9 in their allotted 20-overs, in a reply of India’s 182-runs.
Virat Kohli missed India’s practice session before tournament opener
The only player who missed India’s warm-up game on June 01 was Virat Kohli, who arrived late in the evening of May 31, in New York, after extending his break from the game, at the end of the IPL 2024, where his team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finished at the Eliminators against the Rajasthan Royals.
Many reports claimed that Kohli asked for a long break after the IPL, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) granted him permission after flying out to New York late, after the team departed for the city almost four days ago.
Kohli was seen to do some running and stretching before the start of the warm-up game, but he wasn’t available for the affair. Even he skipped all the three practice sessions that India had at the Cantiague Park, a ground which has been designed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to prepare for the team’s respective games in New York.
The former India captain was expected to join the team during the net-session on Sunday, with India beginning their campaign on June 05, against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. However, the veteran journalist Vimal Kumar, who is in U.S at the moment informed that India was given a rest day after their warm-up encounter.
This is why Kohli missed another session as Sri Lanka and South Africa are scheduled to take on each other for their respective training drills at the Cantiague Park, ahead of their opening clash at the Eisenhower on Monday.
The reports confirmed that the 35-year-old could be part of India’s training session on Monday, whose timing is yet to be confirmed. The veteran batter has come into the competition after a successful Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, where he finished as the leading run-scorer of the competition with 741-runs in 15 innings.
The Delhi boy is also the highest run-getter of the T20 World Cup history, with 1141 runs in 27 games at an average of 81.50, and a strike rate of 131.30, with 14 half-centuries to his name, with a best of 89*. Virat Kohli could open with Rohit Sharma during this edition of the competition, even though the captain of the team admitted that they are yet to make any decision on the team combination.
India will begin their tournament in New York on June 05, against Ireland.