Watch: Kohli seen at Mumbai airport, later reaches Thiruvananthapuram before WC | Cricket

Former India captain Virat Kohli was spotted in the airports of the cities of Mumbai and later Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. It was earlier reported that Kohli had not travelled to the capital of Kerala with the rest of the Indian team for their 2023 World Cup warm-up match against the Netherlands and instead travelled to Mumbai due to a “personal emergency”.

In videos that have been doing the rounds of social media, Kohli was spotted at the Mumbai airport. Hours later, videos emerged of the talismanic batter at the Thiruvananthapuram. India had been at the city for the final leg of their preparations ahead of the World Cup. According to reports, Kohli is now expected to link up with the team and then travel with them to Chennai, the venue for India’s first match of the tournament against five-time champions Australia. The match is scheduled to be played on October 8 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Here is the video of Kohli at Mumbai airport:

Both of India’s scheduled warm-up matches were washed out without a ball being bowled. The Rohit Sharma-led side were first scheduled to face England in Guwahati on September 30 and then play the Netherlands in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. Both games ended up being rained out. India, however, go into the tournament on the back of some good form in the ODI format. They won the Asia Cup last month and then beat Australia 2-1 in a three-match series.

Meanwhile, Australia and Afghanistan won their respective warm-up matches on Tuesday. Australia registered a 14-run victory over Pakistan, with many star players finding their form once again. Afghanistan, meanwhile, cruised to victory in a rain-affected match with Rahmanullah Gurbaz shining with a thunderous (119) and a stylish 93 from Rahmat Shah added the icing on the cake.

Sri Lanka posted a competitive total of 294 with Kusal Mendis leading the charge from the bat with his 158. Gurbaz and Rahmat put on a partnership of 212 to switch the momentum towards Afghanistan’s way.

Australia’s captain, Pat Cummins, won the toss and opted to bat, a decision that went on to decide the fate of the game. David Warner who knows every inch of the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium made an explosive start just like he had done numerous times for his previous Indian Premier League (IPL) side Sunrisers Hyderabad.

He scored 48 off 33 balls to lay the foundation of a high-scoring game. Marnus Labuschagne played an eye-catching knock, contributing 40 runs, while Glenn Maxwell’s fireworks lit up Australia’s as he struck 77 off merely 57 deliveries.

Cameron Green (50*) and Josh Inglis (48) played handy knocks and added crucial runs to the scoreboard. Australia’s collective effort from the batting unit saw them post an imposing 351/7 from their allotted 50 overs.

Pakistan began the mammoth chase with Fakhar Zaman (22) and Imam-ul-Haq (16) aiming to provide an ideal foundation. However, Australian bowlers led by Cummins found consistent breakthroughs and kept the game on balanced terms.