Reports: BCCI grants permission to Virat Kohli for attending Ram Mandir consecration ceremony

Star India batter Virat Kohli will reportedly attend the consecration ceremony of Ram Mandir on Monday, January 22 in Ayodha having taken permission from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Notably, the Indian team will take a two-day break after the third T20I against Afghanistan on Wednesday, January 17. They will be assembling in Hyderabad on January 20 ahead of the first Test against England beginning on January 25 at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.

The 16-member squad will straight away hit the nets upon their arrival in Hyderabad. However, according to a report in Cricbuzz, Kohli will head to Ayodhya following his practice session on January 21 to attend the sacred Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Mandir.

Also Read: Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma invited to Ram Mandir's Pran Pratishtha Ceremony in Ayodhya

The 35-year-old was presented with the invitation to the sacred event at his Mumbai residence in the company of his Bollywood actor wife Anushka Sharma. Apart from Kohli, former India cricketers MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar have been also invited for the grand occasion of the homecoming of Lord Ram Lalla.

Meanwhile, Kohli was spotted training at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru ahead of the third T20I against Afghanistan. The Delhi-born batter made a comeback in the T20I side after 14 months during the second game of the series in Indore where he looked to take the attack on the opposition right from the word go.

Kohli's final Test in T20Is ahead of T20 World Cup 2024

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The star batter played a small cameo of 29 (16) laced with five boundaries before getting holed out to mid-off against Naveen ul Haq. Notably, there was a lot of talk about his strike rate ahead of the series with several former players claiming his style of play not suitable for modern T20I standards.

However, the selectors showed faith in Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma once again ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 and the duo is likely to be a part of the team in the mega event beginning from June 01 in the West Indies and the USA.