India captain Virat Kohli is ready to get back to the grind again after spending some quality time with girlfriend and Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma in New York. Kohli's next assignment is in Sri Lanka where the Indian team will play a full series comprising three Tests, five one-day internationals and one-off T20I. The first Test is starting at Galle from July 26.
Kohli and the Indian team were on the road for the longest time and were also hit by the exit of Anil Kumble who stepped down as the India coach soon after the team lost to arch-rivals Pakistan in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 in England. Kumble's departure snowballed into a huge controversy after the legendary leg-spinner cited a breakdown in his relationship with Kohli as the reason behind his exit.
Kohli, however, refrained from commenting on Kumble's observations, saying that he respects the decision.
The 28-year-old Indian captain then led his team to a 3-1 ODI triumph over West Indies but lost the lone T20I. After the Caribbean series, Kohli headed straight to New York for a vacation with Anushka. The Delhi stalwart was regularly posting on Twitter to give his fans a glimpse of his USA sojourn.
In between, the Indian team also got its new coach in Ravi Shastri. The Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman zeroed in on Shastri on July 11 after the interview process, which saw four other applicants apart from Shastri. The others in the fray were Virender Sehwag, Lalchand Rajput, Tom Moody and Richard Pybus.
Along with Shastri, Rahul Dravid was made the batting consultant of the team for specific overseas tours while Zaheer Khan was appointed the bowling consultant.
The Indian team is scheduled for a taxing home and away season ahead. Following the Sri Lanka tour, India will host Australia for a limited-overs series in October.
Kohli's men are also scheduled to take on Pakistan at home. However, the series is subject to government's approval. India are then scheduled to visit South Africa in January, 2018 for four Tests, five ODIs and two T20Is before hosting Sri Lanka for three Tests, five ODIs and one T20I. The team is also scheduled to travel to England for five Tests, five ODIs and a T20I in July-August next year.
