Virat Kohli directly lands in Chennai at 4 am from London, set for home Test return after 18 months in IND vs BAN
Around four in the morning on Friday, Virat Kohli arrived at the Chennai airport, surrounded by security guards, and proceeded to the hotel.
There’s talk when Virat Kohli is around. There’s tension and there’s thrill. Most of the time, the location and time don’t matter, but Chennai may have some say in this. It will, after all, be hosting Virat Kohli in whites for his first home game in eighteen months. India hosted Kohli’s final Test match in March of last year. The anticipation surrounding his early Friday morning arrival at the Chennai airport told just that.
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Before the two-match Test series against Bangladesh that would launch India’s home season, Kohli took a direct flight from London to join the other Indian players for a pre-season training camp. Encircled by guards, Kohli arrived at the Chennai airport at 4 a.m. on Friday and proceeded towards the hotel.
He has been residing in London for the most part ever after winning the T20 World Cup in June. He did show up for a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in the meantime, but he left again because the home Test series and the white-ball series were scheduled far apart.
Since Kohli’s last India Test match in South Africa in January of this year, a lot has happened. Like captain Rohit Sharma, he has made the decision to give up Twenty20 international cricket after winning the world championship for the first time. However, that is where the similarities stop. Kohli hasn’t played in the longest format in a while, in contrast to Rohit, who led India in the home series against England earlier this year.
Due to the birth of his second kid, he missed the full five-match series against England. Of course, everyone are eager to see Kohli return to the Test team.
Eyes on Pant and KL Rahul too
But there are other reasons to watch the Bangladesh series than Kohli. aboard Thursday, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and star player Jasprit Bumrah were seen getting aboard the team van at the airport.
Following a potentially fatal accident in December 2022, Pant is making a reappearance.
Newcomers Akash Deep and Yash Dayal, who got their first call-ups, are also on the team. With pacers Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Yash Dayal providing support, the spin quartet of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav will offer a potent bowling attack.
With their most recent historic Test victory over Pakistan, Bangladesh, captained by Najmul Hossain Shanto, hopes to build on that victory. The only alteration made by the team is that Jaker Ali, an uncapped batter, has taken the place of injured bowler Shoriful Islam.
