IND vs AFG T20I series: Virat Kohli to miss first match due to personal reasons, confirms Rahul Dravid
As the Indian cricket team is all set to play the T20I series against Afghanistan, India’s star cricketer Virat Kohli will not be there for the first match at Punjab’s Mohali on January 11 due to personal reasons.
The news was confirmed by India’s head coach Rahul Dravid on January 10 while addressing a press conference. Dravid added that Indian skipper Rohit Sharma will open with Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Earlier on January 7, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which comprises SS Das and Salil Ankola, released Team India’s squad for the upcoming IDFC First Bank T20 international series against Afghanistan.
In the released list, the BCCI confirmed the return of skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli, who will play the shortest format of the game after 14 months.
The board added that the selectors had decided to give some rest to India’s star pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj who bowled some impressive spells in South Africa.
Virat Kohli’s return to the T20 format after 14 months gave fans a reason to celebrate and some of them even wanted him to open the innings with Rohit Sharma in the T20i series against Afghanistan.
The first T20I between India and Afghanistan is scheduled to be staged in Mohali’s Punjab Cricket Association Stadium on January 11, followed by the second on January 14 in Indore, and the final tie on January 17 in Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium.
India vs Afghanistan: Team India squad
Rohit Sharma (C), S Gill, Y Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, W Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar.
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Published: 10 Jan 2024, 05:43 PM IST
