Watch: Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma return home to Mumbai as RCB bow out of IPL 2023 playoff race

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star player Virat Kohli along with his wife Anushka Sharma returned to Mumbai on May 22 following RCB’s exit from the IPL 2023 playoffs. Despite Kohli’s impressive performances in his last two IPL matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Gujarat Titans (GT), Bangalore could not secure a place in the playoffs. Kohli showcased his talent with back-to-back hundreds, his most recent being a 101 off 61 balls, which included 13 fours and a six, at a strike rate of 165.67. However, despite Kohli’s heroics, Gujarat Titans, the defending champions, emerged victorious as Shubman Gill played a brilliant knock of 104 not out off 52 balls. They successfully chased down the target with five balls to spare to win the match by six wickets. Kohli had an exceptional season individually, scoring 639 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 139.82. He scored two centuries and six half-centuries, contributing significantly to RCB’s campaign as they finished sixth with 14 points from 14 matches.

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma spotted at CSMI airport, Mumbai#Virat Kohli #RCBvsGT #rcb pic.twitter.com/YMgQiLSSKP— VIRAT_OFFICIAL_FAN_PAGE18 (@viratcrickters) May 22, 2023

Now, Kohli’s focus has shifted to the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and Australia. The much-anticipated clash will begin on June 7 at The Oval in London. Kohli will be aiming to carry forward his excellent form with the bat in the prestigious Test Championship match. His record against Australia speaks volumes, he scored 1979 runs in 24 Tests at an impressive average of 48.27. This includes eight centuries and five half-centuries. Additionally, Kohli has shown his prowess in England by scoring 1033 runs in 16 Tests at an average of 33.32, including two centuries and five half-centuries. Notably, in the Fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Kohli scored an innings of 186 although the match ended in a draw. However, Team India emerged victorious in the series with a 2–1 win.

Kohli’s return to international cricket at the WTC final promises to be an exciting and momentous moment for Indian cricket fans, as they eagerly await his exceptional batting skills to shine once again on the grand stage.

India Team for WTC Final: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (Wicketkeeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Akshar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (wk).

Standby players: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav.