Virat Kohli To Miss India vs Afghanistan 1st T20I Due To Personal Reasons, Informs Head Coach Rahul Dravid

Virat Kohli to miss the first T20I game between India and Afghanistan.

Virat Kohli will miss the first T20I between India and Afghanistan of the 3-match series on Thursday (January 10) at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali. Head coach Rahul Dravid has informed that Kohli will miss the first match of the series due to personal reasons.

What do you all make of this power-packed T20I squad set to face Afghanistan#TeamIndia #INDvAFG @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/pY2cUPdpHy

 BCCI (@BCCI) January 7, 2024

The former India captain will be available for the next two matches of the three-match series, Dravid said, adding, "Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma will be opening the innings" for India in the series opener on Thursday. (Big Blow For Afghanistan Ahead Of T20I Series Against India, Rashid Khan Ruled Out)

Both Rohit and Kohli are returning to the T20 format after 14 months. Kohli last played in the shortest format in November 2022, his last game being India's semifinal loss to England during the T20 World Cup in Australia.

With the Afghanistan T20Is snub, Shreyas Iyer is set to play for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, starting January 12. His return to the domestic circuit provides an opportunity for redemption, especially after a lacklustre performance in the Test series against South Africa. The focus will be on regaining form ahead of the England Test series, with pitches likely to favour spin. (WATCH: Specially-Abled Fan In Tears After Sanju Samson Gifts Him RR Cap, Video Goes Viral)

India Squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.