Former India captain Virat Kohli, on Saturday, was left irritated at Mumbai airport ahead of his departure for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, as fans kept his wife, Anushka Sharma and kids waiting with selfie requests.
The Indian team is all set to begin their Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign later this month, from November 22 onwards, in Perth, with the Rohit Sharma-led side scheduled to play five Tests. The Test series holds importance as India will be looking to bounce back from their 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand and make the World Test Championship final for the third straight time. India will have to avoid a defeat and more than one draw in the series to make the summit clash next summer.
The Indian team will be leaving in two batches on November 10 and 11 for Perth, where they will practice at the WACA, the old Test venue, and hence Kohli was spotted at the Mumbai airport with his family.
Upon his arrival at the airport, Kohli initially requested the paparazzi not to photograph his wife with the children. However, he was soon surrounded by fans requesting selfies, leaving him irritated as his family were waiting inside the airport. While he obliged to a few, the 36-year-old was heard saying, “family ko rok ke thodi hi na photo lunga tum logon ke sath (Should I keep my family waiting to take selfies with you all)”.
Virat Kohli’s career at stake?
A poor string of performances through the course of 2024 left experts questioning Kohli’s future in the Test format, especially in the wake of the embarrassing 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand at home last week.
In 2024, Kohli has managed just 250 runs in 12 innings at 22.78, his worst in a calendar year (minimum of 10 innings). Of those, 93 runs came against New Zealand, at 15.50, his worst average in a home series in last seven years and second-worst overall.
Amid the poor run, critics reckon that the impending contest against Australia could be a make-or-break series for the former India captain. Although Kohli is expected to bounce back as he takes on one of his favourite oppositions. In his 13 appearances Down Under, Kohli has scored 1352 runs at 54.08, with six centuries.
