India vs South Africa: Virat Kohli to join team tomorrow: Reduced to only Test skipper, Virat Kohli further delayed his return to Team India. He was supposed to join the short camp but he opted out. But as the team was supposed to begin quarantine on Monday, he delayed his return, informing that he will join on Tuesday. Follow India Tour of South Africa Live Updates on InsideSport.IN.
“He was supposed to join quarantine today. But he has informed that he will join on Tuesday due to some personal reasons,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.
India vs South Africa: Virat Kohli further delays his quarantine entry, BCCI official says ‘He will join tomorrow’ – Follow LIVE Updates
All other players have begun quarantine including Shreyas Iyer, Jayant Yadav amongst others. They will be in a three-day quarantine ahead of their scheduled departure for Johannesburg on December 16. He has been ignoring selectors and BCCI’s calls for the last few days as he is upset over losing ODI captaincy.
“What rift? There is no problem between the two. It’s all cooked up. They are professionals and have mutual respect. Virat bhai is well-respected amongst the teammates. He is yet to join,” said a Team India player currently in the Mumbai team hotel.
India vs South Africa: Virat Kohli further delays his quarantine entry, BCCI official says ‘He will join tomorrow’ – Follow LIVE Updates
On Sunday, the Test team underwent a short camp in Mumbai but Virat Kohli was missing.
“Virat was obviously informed. But he hasn’t joined the camp. We expect him to join tomorrow. The players will enter a three-day bio-bubble before travelling to Johannesburg,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport on Sunday.
🗣️🗣️ “The pressure will always be there. As a cricketer, it is important to focus on my job.”
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— BCCI (@BCCI) December 12, 2021
India vs South Africa: Virat Kohli further delays his quarantine entry, BCCI official says ‘He will join tomorrow’ – Follow LIVE Updates
14:05 PM IST: Shreyas Iyer has joined the bio-bubble in Mumbai ahead of scheduled departure on December 16. He took to social media to share a picture of his quarantine diary. The middle-order batsman is expected to ride on his luck if given an opportunity to shine in South Africa. Iyer took Test cricket like a duck to water after slamming a century and then returning with a fifty in Kanpur Test. However, he failed to continue his brilliant form in Mumbai Test and got out for cheap scores.
InsideSport has learnt that even though the selectors and some BCCI officials tried calling him, Virat Kohli didn’t return or accept calls. Earlier, his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma said Kohli’s phone was switched off.
India vs South Africa: When will India leave?
- Team India will leave on December 16 from Mumbai.
- As the series will be played under strict bio-bubble due to Omicron variant outbreak in South Africa, the players were asked to attend a short camp in Mumbai and then enter a bio-bubble.
- While all the players arrived, Virat Kohli didn’t turn up.
- On Monday, all the players will enter the bio-bubble and he is expected to join the squad.
- The first Test will be played from December 26 at SuperSport Park, Centurion.
India vs South Africa: Virat Kohli further delays his quarantine entry, BCCI official says ‘He will join tomorrow’ – Follow LIVE Updates
India vs South Africa: Virat Kohli further delays his quarantine entry, BCCI official says ‘He will join tomorrow’ – Follow LIVE Updates
When asked if Kohli is ignoring their calls, the official dismissed the idea. He said that Kohli will join as he also lives in Mumbai.
“Why should a player ignore our calls. He is a professional cricketer and will join shortly. But of course, he should have returned the calls,” the official told InsideSport.
It should be noted that Virat Kohli didn’t even congratulate Rohit Sharma on his appointment as the leader in the ODI format. However, he posted a couple of videos on his Instagram handle wishing Yuvraj Singh on his birthday.
The likes of Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Shardul Thakur who have joined the camp in Mumbai even underwent light training under India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai.
India vs South Africa: Virat Kohli further delays his quarantine entry, BCCI official says ‘He will join tomorrow’ – Follow LIVE Updates
The South Africa series will also see the return of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami who were missing out from the home series against New Zealand.
The Indian team is scheduled to depart for South Africa tour on December 16 after undergoing a three-day quarantine in Mumbai. The first of the three Tests starts in Centurion on Boxing Day (December 26).
India’s Test squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Md. Siraj.
Standby Players: Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Arzan Nagwaswalla.
India vs South Africa: Virat Kohli further delays his quarantine entry, BCCI official says ‘He will join tomorrow’ – Follow LIVE Updates
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