‘Not received any request’: BCCI quashes rumours of Virat Kohli skipping South Africa ODIs
Virat Kohli (Photo by Surjeet Yadav/Getty Images)
A Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official has denied the reports of Virat Kohli skipping the ODI series against South Africa. Earlier in the day, several reports were circulating in the media that Kohli has asked the BCCI for a break as he wants to go on a vacation to celebrate his daughter’s first birthday. Soon after, Kohli started trending on social media, with many slamming him for the move. Some even pointed out that Kohli does not want to play ODI cricket under Rohit Sharma. However, all those reports turned out to be mere rumours.
“As of now, Kohli hasn’t sent any formal request to skip the ODIs to either BCCI president Sourav Ganguly or secretary Jay Shah. If something is decided at a later date or God forbid, he sustains an injury, then it’s a different matter,” a senior BCCI official was quoted by Rediff.
“As things stand today, he is playing the three ODIs on January 19, 21, 23,” he added.
The official further confirmed that families of the players will be travelling to South Africa in the same charter plane due to the COVID-19 restrictions. “The skipper is travelling with his family. But yes, if he feels bubble fatigue after the Test series and wants to take a break, he would definitely inform the chairman of selectors and secretary (Shah), who is the convenor of the selection committee,” the source added.
The Covid-19 and bubble life have taken a toll on players’ mental health. India are set to play a limited-overs series against Sri Lanka in India after the South Africa series thus if Kohli plays the South Africa ODIs, he will have to spend nearly three months in the bubble.
