India vs Afghanistan: Rohit, Jaiswal to open; Virat Kohli rested
Indian cricket team head coach Rahul Dravid, on Wednesday, confirmed that Virat Kohli will miss the 1st T20I in Mohali against Afghanistan due to personal reasons. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the innings for India in the match. Dravid, speaking ahead of the series opener, also cleared the air regarding the absence of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer.
Why does this story matter?
The cricket fraternity rejoiced in the return of Rohit and Kohli to India's T20I squad. However, the latter is set to miss the Mohali T20I due to personal reasons. Both Rohit and Kohli last featured in the format in the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup semi-final. Interestingly, the impending Afghanistan series gives India three final T20Is before the 2024 T20 World Cup.
A look at India's schedule
The three T20Is between hosts India and Afghanistan are scheduled for January 11, 14, and 17 in Mohali, Indore, and Bengaluru, respectively. India will then host England in a five-match Test series, starting January 25. The players will then join their respective IPL teams. The cash-rich league will conclude two weeks before the T20 World Cup starts (on June 1).
India's squad for Afghanistan T20I series
India's squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar.
Rohit, Jaiswal to open
Rohit is back to lead India in the shortest format. Dravid confirmed that he will open the innings along with Jaiswal. Notably, Jaiswal seems to be ahead of Shubman Gill in the pecking order. The former, who made his T20I debut in 2023, finished the year as India's highest run-scorer in the format. He had an impressive strike rate of 159.25.
Kohli closes in on 12,000 T20 runs
It is worth noting that Kohli is closing in on 12,000 runs in T20 cricket. He is 35 runs away from becoming the first Indian with this feat. Kohli will become the fourth player with 12,000 T20 runs, after Chris Gayle (14,562), Shoaib Malik (12,993), and Kieron Pollard (12,390). Kohli could also be the second-fastest to this landmark after Gayle (353 T20s).
Here's why Iyer and Ishan missed out
Several media reports regarding Iyer's unavailability for the Afghanistan T20I series have been doing the rounds. These reports suggested that the BCCI to disciplinary action against Iyer, which made him miss the cut. However, Dravid stated that Iyer missed out as several batters were in the reckoning. Besides, Ishan was unavailable for selection for the upcoming series.
