Virat Kohli seeks clarity on SA tour amid Omicron scare

Mumbai: India captain Virat Kohli on Thursday said that he along with the team is seeking clarity on the upcoming tour of South Africa, where the COVID-19 variant Omicron has emerged. 

The 33-year-old stressed that there is a lot of planning going on to understand the situation in the southernmost tip of the African continent.

"We are not playing in normal times anyway. So, there's a lot of planning and preparation involved in terms of understanding exactly what's going to go on. There are players who are not part of group right now who will be entering quarantine to join the team in the bubble to fly in a charter. On those kind of things you want to seek clarity as soon as possible," Kohli said while addressing the media ahead of the second Test against New Zealand.

The right-hander highlighted that head coach Rahul Dravid has initiated a conversation with players. He added that in coming days the picture will be clear.

"We have spoken to all the senior members of the squad. Rahul bhai (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 remain the Test match not shift regardless but also to know that you want to have clarity and you want to be in a situation where you know what's exactly going on and we have been talking to the board and we are confident within a day or two or pretty soon we will have absolute clarity as to what is going on but look you need to be realistic about things as well.

"We cannot just ignore the things that potentially could put you in a confusing place and no one wants to be there. So I'm sure everyone is 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 is right now the second Test and the other things will be simultaneously taken care of," he added.

India are scheduled to tour South Africa to play three-match Test series and One-Day Internationals, and four T20I matches. (UNI)