Not Valentine's Day; Virat Kohli skipped warm-up match versus New Zealand for this reason

Indian skipper Virat Kohli didn't have a great run in the three-match ODI series against the Kiwis and has since been drawing flak for missing the ongoing three-day practice match against New Zealand. Speculations that Virat was holidaying with his wife instead of practising were going wild on social media.

However, the reason behind Virat Kohli’s decision to not bat in the warm-up game was different. Unlike his teammates, the skipper decided to hit the nets instead of playing the warm-up game. Kohli faced pacers Navdeep Saini and Mohammed Shami under the vigilant eyes of head coach Ravi Shastri.

Looking at the bright side, Kohli's absence in the warm-up allowed the test bench strength to make most out of the opportunity and practice before the series. The Indian skipper had a rather poor series as his scores read  51, 15, and 9 respectively. His form could be one of the reasons why India suffered a whitewash in the series.

READ: Mayank Agarwal recalls his talk with Virat Kohli; credits Skipper for his double ton

Indian Test team's day out at Blue Springs Waterfront ahead of test series

Team India did take some time off earlier this week. The Men in Blue wasted no time in sneaking in a quick vacation, taking time out on Thursday to visit the Springs at Te Waihou Walkway near Hamilton.

 

READ: Virat Kohli tweets in shock after RCB's social media blackout amidst rebranding rumours

Warm-Up Day 2: Bumrah, Shami make the ball talk; openers put up better show

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami gave an exhibition of high-quality fast bowling on day two of India's warm-up encounter against New Zealand XI, sending a warning signal for the home team ahead of the first Test in Wellington. For the record, New Zealand was bowled out for 235 in 74.2 overs but Bumrah (2/18 in 11 overs) and Shami (3/17 in 10 overs) used the conditions well and in the process added miles to their legs ahead of the two World Test Championship games. Umesh Yadav (2/49 in 13 overs) and Navdeep Saini (2/58 in 15 overs) bowled more overs but weren't half as good as the two premier pacers who troubled the batsmen in all their spells.

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