Hope to get clearer picture in next couple of days: Virat Kohli on tour of Omicron-hit South Africa

Kohli was addressing the media on the eve of the second and final Test against New Zealand

Reports surfaced on Thursday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to take a final call on the feasibility of India’s tour of South Africa on Sunday. If Virat Kohli’s demeanour is anything to go by, it’s likely that the series will be called off or at least pushed for a later date.

India were slated to travel to South Africa later this month for three Tests, three ODIs and four T20Is. But concerns over Omicron, the new variant of Covid-19, threw off those early plans.

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"Well, look it's pretty natural, I mean, we are not playing in normal times anyway, so there is a lot of planning that's involved, there is a lot of preparation that is involved in terms of understanding exactly what's going to go on, there are players who are not part of the group right now, who will be entering quarantine to join the team in the bubble, to fly in a charter, those kinds of things, you want to seek clarity as soon as possible," Kohli said.

"So we have spoken to all the senior members of the squad, obviously Rahul bhai (Rahul Dravid) has initiated a conversation within the group, which is very important to know because at the end of the day, we understand, I mean our focus from the Test match will not shift regardless, but also know that you would want to have clarity and you want to be in a situation where you know exactly what's going on and we have been talking to the board and we are pretty confident within, you know a day or two or pretty soon, will have absolute clarity as to what is going on.

"...But we need to be realistic about things as well. We cannot you know, just ignore the things that potentially could put you in a confusing place and no one wants to be there, so I am sure everyone's working hard towards finding clarity and giving us the situation as it unfolds as soon as possible and we all are hopeful that will happen soon and as I said our prime focus right now is the second Test and the other things are simultaneously being taken care of," Kohli said during a virtual press conference ahead of the second Test against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium.

The India A team is currently playing a series in South Africa and the BCCI has not given any indication that it is planning to pull the team out of the tour.

(With IANS inputs)

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