Rahul Dravid, the head coach, confirmed that the star player, Virat Kohli, won’t play the first match in the series against Afghanistan in Mohali due to Personal matters.
India’s trio of T20I games with the Afghans is their last international stint in the shortest game format before the June World Cup. Questions loomed around Virat Kohli’s T20I career, but he made it onto the Indian squad for the Afghanistan series.
Despite Virat Kohli’s astonishing T20I record, he hasn’t represented India since losing to England in the 2022 World Cup semi-final. But don’t let that fool you. Virat Kohli, aged 35, dominated the recent ODI World Cup, outperforming anyone in terms of runs.
Along with being the all-time top run scorer in T20 World Cups, the champion batter has amassed 1,141 runs at an average of 81.50 and a strike rate of 131.30. at addition, Virat Kohli won Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cups in 2014 and 2016.
Despite his efforts, the experienced player is yet to win his first T20 World Cup trophy, despite participating five times since 2012.
When fans heard that Virat Kohli was returning to T20I cricket, excitement was high to see him play the short format again after 14 months. So naturally, Twitter responded quickly when Virat Kohli wasn’t in the first match.
Some of the greatest responses are included below:
India have dominated Afghanistan in T20Is so far
India’s cricket team has never lost a T20I match against Afghanistan. They’re gearing up for their first-ever series against them.
They’ve faced off five times before in this quick-paced format. India has clinched four victories. Unfortunately, the latest match was halted by rain. Their first encounter happened in the 2010 T20 World Cup. India successfully ran 116 runs, only losing three wickets, and finished within 15 overs.
Later, India and Afghanistan faced off in the subsequent World Cup. The title-holders from 2007 managed a win by 23 runs in a close match. Nearly a decade later, the teams competed again in a T20I. The Men in Blue clinched a victory by 66 runs in the 2021 World Cup.
In 2022, Team India triumphed over an opponent not in the World Cup, but the Asia Cup. They won big, by a whopping 101 runs! But, the next face-off at the 2023 Asian Games final ended too soon. Rain stopped the play after just 18.2 overs.
The next series, which is getting everyone excited, will witness Rohit Sharma comeback. After a 14-year gap, he’s back for T20Is. Oh, and guess what? He’s going to be the Captain!
