Kohli 'excited' to be back after two-month break
The India and RCB batter will be returning to competitive cricket after two months, during which he and Anushka Sharma had their second child
ESPNcricinfo staff
18-Mar-2024
Virat Kohli hasn't played a game since January this year • PTI
Virat Kohli is "happy and excited" to be playing cricket once again after a two-month break from the game. The India and Royal Challengers Bangalore batter had arrived in Mumbai on Saturday, and has since linked up with the RCB for a short camp ahead of the team's departure to Chennai for their IPL 2024 season opener against Chennai Super Kings on March 22.
"It's really good to be back, firstly playing cricket and just starting off the IPL," Kohli told RCB TV. "It's always exciting to come back to Bangalore for the start of the IPL season. So, similar emotions, similar feelings and I haven't been off the media radar.
"I have been into the normalcy, you can say, for two months. So, yeah, I am pretty happy and excited to be back and I hope all the fans are excited and happy as well."
In January, Kohli had left the India Test squad ahead of the five-match series against England and did not play a part in the entire tour. He later revealed via social media that his wife Anushka Sharma had given birth to their second child.
Kohli's most-recent game was in mid-January - a T20I against Afghanistan in Bengaluru remembered for the double super-over finish - when he was brought back to the T20I squad after more than a year with the 2024 T20 World Cup coming up in June.
On Sunday, Kohli was seen speaking to RCB women's captain Smriti Mandhana via a video call soon after they won the 2024 WPL final against Delhi Capitals. He will also be present at RCB Unbox - an event organised by the franchise to launch their IPL campaign, where they will also facilitate the Mandhana and her WPL title-winning team.