Virat Kohli was the only player who did not feature in India's warm-up game for the T20 World Cup, against Bangladesh at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Saturday. Kohli had only arrived in the city on late Friday night and hence was rested after the 16-hour long flight journey from Mumbai.
Despite Kohli missing the match, there was only particular moment from the match that caught the attention of fans on social media. On the sidelines of the game in New York, where India dominated the proceedings in both the departments, the former India captain was seen casually checking out his six-pack abs. "Stop, it's already 40 degrees," said one of the users on X, formerly known as Twitter, as the video went viral on social media.
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Kohli was expected to be part of the first batch of Indian players to leave for New York after IPL 2024, but he was among the major absentees on May 26, along with all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who was reportedly vacationing at an undisclosed overseas location. According to a report in Indian Express last week, Kohli had extended his break after the IPL 2024 season, where Royal Challengers Bengaluru suffered a heartbreaking exit in the Eliminator, after taking permission from the BCCI.
{{/usCountry}}Kohli was expected to be part of the first batch of Indian players to leave for New York after IPL 2024, but he was among the major absentees on May 26, along with all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who was reportedly vacationing at an undisclosed overseas location. According to a report in Indian Express last week, Kohli had extended his break after the IPL 2024 season, where Royal Challengers Bengaluru suffered a heartbreaking exit in the Eliminator, after taking permission from the BCCI.
{{/usCountry}}Kohli, hence, missed all three practice sessions that India had in New York before the match against Bangladesh. He only joined the squad on Friday and was later present at the stadium during the warm-up match.
Despite missing the match, Kohli will head into the World Cup after a sensational season in IPL, where he smashed 741 runs in 15 innings to win the Orange Cap.
Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya starred with the bat on Saturday as both struck aggressive knocks as India amassed 182 for five in 20 overs. Pant scored 53 off 32 while Hardik hit a 23-ball 40. Suryakumar Yadav, too, played a decent knock, smashing 31 in 18, laced with four sixes. This was followed by a clinical show from the bowlers with Arshdeep Singh and Shivam Dube standing out with two wickets each as Bangladesh were restricted to 122 for nine in 20 overs.