Virat Kohli will not play 1st T20I against Afghanistan due to personal reasons, confirms Rahul Dravid.

Team India’s prominent batsman, Virat Kohli, will be absent from the initial T20I clash against Afghanistan, commencing on January 11. The seasoned player, who recently re-entered the T20I squad, will sit out due to personal reasons, as confirmed by head coach Rahul Dravid during a pre-match press conference on Wednesday. Kohli’s last T20I appearance was in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-finals against England. In conjunction, Rohit Sharma, another key player, has rejoined the squad and is anticipated to lead the team in the opening match in Mohali.

Speculation surrounded the return of this dynamic duo, drawing criticism from fans who questioned their roles given the emergence of young talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, and Rinku Singh in the past year. Despite impressive performances from these rising stars, the absence of Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav due to injuries led the BCCI to place its confidence in the experienced pair.

Kohli’s notable achievements, securing the fourth position in IPL run-scoring last season and topping the charts in the preceding T20 World Cup, further justified the decision. With Kohli sidelined for the first T20I, Gill is expected to assume the no.3 position in the batting order, with Rohit and Jaiswal as the opening pair. Tilak and Rinku are likely to maintain their positions in the playing XI, while the wicketkeeper role remains uncertain, with Jitesh Sharma competing against Sanju Samson.

The T20I series against Afghanistan marks India’s final engagement in the shortest format before the T20 World Cup, with attention shifting to the upcoming five-Test series against England. The Indian Premier League is anticipated to take place in March, April, and May.