Indian cricketer Virat Kohli reportedly returned to Mumbai from Guwahati due to a “personal emergency” as the Indian cricket team arrived in Trivandrum for their second warm-up match against the Netherlands, according to Indian media reports on Monday.
NDTV noted that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not officially confirmed whether Kohli will be absent from the warm-up game.
The report suggests that Kohli will make a timely return to join his teammates for India’s match against The Netherlands on October 2.
Cricbuzz quoted an unnamed source from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as saying, “A source from the BCCI confirmed that he went to Mumbai for personal reasons. Virat will rejoin the team soon.”
This development has occurred amid rumors circulating on social media about his wife, Indian actress Anushka Sharma’s pregnancy.
Several Indian entertainment outlets have reported that the couple is expecting their second child and is awaiting the right moment to make an official announcement.
It is speculated that the actress has consciously maintained a low profile and limited her public appearances to avoid public scrutiny and further speculation, according to the Khaleej Times.
While these pregnancy rumors initially began circulating earlier, they gained significant attention after Anushka’s recent festival-related Instagram post, where she was seen wearing a saree in all the photos.
Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma got married in 2017 and welcomed their first daughter, Vamika, in January 2021.
The first warm-up match for India, scheduled against England, was canceled due to unfavorable weather conditions in Guwahati. The team will have another opportunity to assess their playing XI against the Netherlands on Tuesday. India’s opening match in the ICC World Cup 2023 is set to take place against Australia in Chennai on October 8.
India’s World Cup squad includes Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav.
