Virat Kohli to opt out of India's white-ball tour of South Africa: Reports

Star Indian batter Virat Kohli will reportedly not feature in the three ODIs and three T20Is that India will play against South Africa, starting on December 10 with the shortest format.

According to reports from The Indian Express, Kohli informed the BCCI that he wanted to take a break from the white-ball leg of the tour and will be back in action for the two Tests to be played in Centurion and Cape Town.

Here's what a source was quoted as saying by The Indian Express:

“He (Kohli) has informed the BCCI and selectors that he needs a break from white-ball cricket and he will get back to them about when he wants to play white-ball cricket next. At the moment he has informed the BCCI that he will be playing red-ball cricket, which means he is available for selection for the two Test matches in South Africa."

Kohli had a sensational 2023 World Cup where he scored 765 runs in 11 games, the most a player has scored in a single edition of the tournament. He also won the Player of the Tournament award.

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No clarity on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's T20I future

Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma haven't played T20I cricket since the defeat to England in the T20 World Cup semifinal last year. While the selectors moved into a new direction with Hardik Pandya as the captain, there hasn't been any proof of whether they have moved on from Rohit and Kohli.

While Kohli has taken a break, reports suggest that BCCI secretary Jay Shah will speak to Indian captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar about how they want to go about planning the near future.

With Hardik also out injured at the time of writing, it will be interesting to see who will lead India in the T20Is against the Proteas.