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“Maybe Virat Kohli Will Miss…,” Did Sunil Gavaskar Hint at Former RCB Skipper’s Absence From IPL This Year?
Sunil Gavaskar doubts Virat Kohli’s presence in the IPL 2024, speaks about Dhruv Jurel, captaincy shift in Mumbai Indians, and much more.
Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar raised doubts over the availability of Virat Kohli for season 17 of the Indian Premier League. Gavaskar wondered if Kohli, who has not been a part of the ongoing Test series against England, would feature in the IPL 2024.
Will Virat Kohli play IPL 2024?
Gavaskar, in a recent conversation with the students of Indian Institute of Management, Ranchi, organized by Star Sports, was asked if Kohli will be hungry to score more and more runs in IPL since he will be returning after staying out of action for a long time.
To this, Gavaskar gave a rather interesting response as he replied, “Kya woh khelenge... kuchh reason ke liye khel nahin rahe hain, shaayad ho sakta hai ke IPL ke liye bhi na khele (Will he play... He is not playing because of some reason, perhaps he may not play in IPL as well).”
Kohli’s absence from IND vs ENG Test series
Kohli had earlier opted out of the first two India vs England Tests after practicing in Hyderabad for one day citing personal reasons. The nature of the reason, however, was not revealed by BCCI, who requested everyone to respect his privacy. It was later revealed that the former Indian skipper won’t be available for the remaining three Tests of the series as well, for reasons best known to him. 
On February 20, Kohli and his wife Anushka posted an announcement on Instagram, revealing that the couple were blessed with their second child- a son, whom they have named Akaay.
ALSO READ: 'People might not agree': Virat Kohli reveals why Cristiano Ronaldo is his 'Sporting GOAT'
Dhruv Jurel: Superstar of IPL 2024?
Gavaskar also mentioned Dhruv Jurel, who impressed everyone with his exceptional game sense that rescued India multiple times in the fourth Test. Speaking of Jurel, Gavaskar believes that this young talent has the potential to become the IPL superstar this year.
Praising the young gun, who made his debut during the third Test in Rajkot, Gavaskar said, “He could be promoted up the order. Jurel could be the superstar after this performance in the Test matches. Even Akash Deep could get more exposure in RCB and play the role of the death over specialist which they were missing last season.”
Gavaskar supports Mumbai Indians’ decision to change the captain
The former Indian opener carried forward the conversation by hailing the decision of Mumbai Indians to hand over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma to Hardik Pandya as it will allow the Indian skipper more freedom to bat.
“To allow Rohit to play purely as a batter... it has been a busy season for him, first the World Cup, and now this series. This will give him the freedom to play without worrying about other players. My feeling is that it will work very well for Mumbai Indians. For Hardik to have someone like Rohit to turn to would be invaluable. Hardik will enjoy having Rohit as 'captain',” said the legendary Indian cricketer.
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