Reports | Virat Kohli to skip press conference ahead of Team India's departure to West Indies

In what will be contrary to the usual routine, Indian skipper Virat Kohli is set to skip the pre-tour press conference which is usually held before the departure of the Indian Team ahead of overseas tours. The reports of a potential snub from Kohli come on the wake of rumours suggesting a rift between Kohli and vice-captain Rohit Sharma, and both parties have remained silent on the issue thus far. 

According to a report by India Today, Kohli, who was seen singing the national anthem at the Pro Kabaddi match in Mumbai on Saturday, is all set to skip the pre-tour press conference ahead of the team's departure to the West Indies. These fresh reports have added fuel to fire, with both Kohli and Rohit thus far refusing to comment on rumours of a potential rift between the duo. 

Kohli will reportedly attend a promotional event on Monday morning before boarding the flight but will not take any questions regarding the West Indies tour.

“You cannot have two leaders of a team or their media teams taking pot-shots at one another. There is no denial of a rift and the big shot administrator says that it is a media creation. If that is the case why are they giving impetus to the media creation rather than dispelling it,” a BCCI functionary was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times. 

“It is like any other discord at a workplace which can affect the performance of the team. If this is not nipped in the bud immediately, there is a real danger of things affecting the spirit of the team and as a result, their performance," the source added.

The Kohli-led Indian team will travel to Florida where they will play the first two T20Is against West Indies, with the first T20I set to commence on August 3rd.