Virat Kohli

Despite Kohli opting out of the first two Tests for personal reasons, India faced a 28-run defeat to England after securing a substantial 190-run lead in the first innings.

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah stated, "Virat Kohli has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to be withdrawn from the first two Tests of the upcoming IDFC First Bank Test series against England, citing personal reasons."

De Villiers, a commentator in SA20, expressed his happiness for Kohli and Rohit Sharma's inclusion, emphasizing the importance of having the best team for the T20 World Cup. Despite criticism about the omission of younger players, De Villiers supports the decision to include experienced players who have proven themselves.

Virat Kohli, who was the leading run-scorer in the 2023 Men's ODI World Cup, and Rohit Sharma, who led the team to ten straight wins in the same competition, are expected to play crucial roles in the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the USA from June 1-29, 2024.

Requiring 66 runs before the first Test against South Africa to reach the 2000-run mark across formats in 2023, Kohli efficiently contributed 38 runs in the first innings.

After conceding a 163-run lead, South Africa reached a formidable total of 408, thanks to stellar contributions from Elgar, Marco Jansen, and David Bedingham. Unfortunately, India's second innings resembled a horror movie, lasting only 34.1 overs with eight batters succumbing to single-digit scores.

India opted to bat after a delayed start due to rain.

Simultaneously, opener Ruturaj Gaikwad suffered a finger injury during India's second ODI against South Africa in Gqeberha, sidelining him from the series decider in Paarl.

In the final showdown at Ahmedabad on November 19, Kohli fought valiantly with a score of 54 to lift India from a precarious situation. However, Cummins bowled a short ball that resulted in Kohli chopping onto his stumps without conceding a boundary in his impressive spell of 2-34 in ten overs. Australia successfully chased down India's total of 240 in 43 overs, securing their sixth World Cup title.

Kohli's outstanding performance, amassing 765 runs, catapulted him to third place, trailing Gill by just 35 rating points.