Kohli has opted out of the match due to personal reasons, as announced by head coach Rahul Dravid in a pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
Head Coach Rahul Dravid has confirmed that Virat Kohli will be skipping the first T20I against Afghanistan for personal reasons. In the upcoming series against Afghanistan starting on January 11, Virat Kohli, the renowned Indian batsman, will be absent from the initial T20I. Despite his recent return to the T20I squad after a prolonged wait, Kohli has opted out of the match due to personal reasons, as announced by head coach Rahul Dravid in a pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
Kohli’s most recent T20I appearance was in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-finals against England. Alongside Kohli’s absence, Rohit Sharma, also making a return to the squad, is anticipated to lead the team in the first match in Mohali. The potential return of this star duo sparked speculation, drawing criticism from some fans who preferred the inclusion of emerging young talents in their roles. In the past year, promising batsmen like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Ruturaj Gaikwad have left a strong impact in the top order. Additionally, Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh have delivered notable performances in the middle order.
Read More: Ishan Kishan’s T20I Exclusion: BCCI’s decision made on disciplinary reasons
Despite the rise of these young talents, the senior duo was given a spot in the squad, particularly with the T20 World Cup approaching in June. The absence of Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav due to injuries further influenced this decision. Kohli showcased his batting prowess by securing the fourth position among the leading run-scorers in the previous IPL season, amassing 639 runs in 14 matches. Furthermore, he claimed the top spot as the highest run-getter in the preceding T20 World Cup.
India’s squad
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar
Afghanistan’s squad:
Ibrahim Zadran (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem, Qais Ahmad, Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan.
Read more:
Follow Us
