Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar among 8000 dignitaries invited to consecration ceremony at Ram Temple in Ayodhya - Reports

Indian cricket stars Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar are among the 8,000 dignitaries invited for the consecration ceremony at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The Pran Pratisththa ceremony of Ram Lalla will take place on January 22, 2024. Apart from the two cricket icons, the other invitees include popular actors Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar and business tycoons Ratan Tata, Gautam Adani, and Mukesh Ambani.

According to a report by The Print, the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra has also invited 6,000 religious leaders for the ceremony. The remaining 2000 invitees are VVIPS from across the countries, including retired army officers, former civil servants, poets, lawyers, and Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan recipients.

The foundation stone of the Ram Temple was laid by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, with a silver brick in August 2020. He will be present at the consecration ceremony along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat.

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Virat Kohli rested for the white-ball leg of India's upcoming tour of South Africa

Virat Kohli was last seen in action during the 2023 World Cup. The seasoned campaigner enjoyed an imperious run at the showpiece event, finishing as the leading run-getter with 765 runs from 11 outings.

India finished as runner-up following a heartbreaking six-wicket loss to Australia in the final in Ahmedabad. Kohli was named the Player of the Tournament for his brilliant batting exploits.

Team India are set to tour South Africa later this month for a multi-format series. While Kohli is part of the squad for the two-match Test series, he won't feature in white-ball formats.

Shortly after the announcement of the squads, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma requested a break from the white-ball leg of the tour.

The tour kicks off with the T20 matches, with the opening encounter scheduled to be played in Durban on December 10.