Star India batter Virat Kohli, who missed the T20 World Cup warm-up clash against Bangladesh on Saturday, was seen enjoying a wholesome meal on the team dugout. Kohli arrived in New York just a few hours before the start of the match, having reportedly asked for a break from BCCI following the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 35-year-old had missed the team’s training sessions in New York before Rohit announced at the toss that all the players will feature against Bangladesh, barring Kohli, who didn’t have any match practice under his belt.
"We will bat. Not for any particular reason, conditions here look a bit challenging. Virat has just arrived yesterday, he's going to miss out, the rest are all available and we'll see how to use them. We arrived quite early, so the body clock has adjusted, we just have to see how well we can adjust to these conditions," Rohit said after opting to bat.
During the match, Kohli, however, was seen enjoying his meal in the dugout, with head coach Rahul Dravid sitting beside him. The video has gone viral on social media.
Foodie Chikuuu#viratkohli | #t20worldcuppic.twitter.com/rHPVVF7T3D
— (@wrognxvirat) June 2, 2024
Meanwhile, Kohli received his ICC ODI Player of the Year award and was also selected for ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year 2023 in New York on Saturday.
He witnessed another massive peak of his illustrious career in 2023, after some years of inconsistent form and struggle for massive scores. In 27 ODIs, he scored 1,377 runs at an average of 72.47 and a strike rate of 99.13, with six centuries and eight fifties in 24 innings. His best score was 166 not out.
He played a big role in India's Asia Cup 2023 triumph, scoring an unbeaten 122* in 94 balls against arch-rivals Pakistan in a crucial Super Four stage game.
Later on in the ODI World Cup held last year at home, Virat delivered an all-timer campaign, scoring 765 runs in 11 matches at an average of 95.62, with three centuries, six half-centuries and the best score of 117.
He ended the tournament as a top-scorer, scoring the most runs in a single World Cup edition, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 673 runs back in the 2003 WC. He also outdid Sachin’s record of 49 ODI tons, scoring his 50th ODI ton against New Zealand in the semifinals.
Kohli is expected to feature in India's opening game of the T20 World Cup against Ireland on Wednesday.