The India vs Afghanistan T20I series buildup has been all about the return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma into the T20I format
The India vs Afghanistan has been surrounded by the news of the return of the senior duo - Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the T20I format. The star batters last played in T20I colours at the T20 World Cup 2022, where the Men In Blue lost to England in the semis. (Streaming | More Cricket News)
Since then, the duo have only featured in ODIs and Tests. However, with the T20I series against Afghanistan serving as the best practice prior to the T20 World Cup 2024, the BCCI selectors have recalled the duo to the T20 squad. But, at the pre-match press conference, coach Rahul Dravid has revealed that Virat won't be featuring in the 1st T20I against Afghanistan on Thursday.
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As per a report in Cricbuzz, the BCCI selectors had a meeting with Virat regarding his expectations. The communication was that whether the Delhi-born batter's role in the 20-over format. As per the report, Ajit Agarkar met Virat in Cape Town.
Dravid has revealed that the batter will miss the 1st T20I against Afghanistan due to personal reasons but will be available for the second and third T20Is. He also said that Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma are set to open the batting in the series.
Talking about Virat's profiency in T20Is, he has amassed 4008 runs in 115 matches at an average of 52.73. His strike rate reads 137.96.