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Virat Kohli (Source - Twitter)
The Sri Lankan cricket team will be touring India in January, for a three-match T20I and ODI. Former India captain Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Rohit Sharma are not a part of the T20I squad but they have been named in the ODI squad. In the absence of seniors for the T20Is, Hardik Pandya has been named captain with Suryakumar Yadav as his deputy.
Kohli's exclusion comes at a time when he is the second-highest run-getter for Team India in T20Is in 2022. Kohli scored 781 runs in 20 matches at an impressive average of 55.78 in T20Is, this year. The right-handed batter was also the highest run-scorer in the T20 World Cup 2022 where he smashed 296 runs in six matches at a stunning average of 98.66 which included four half-centuries. Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma said that it would be incorrect to say that he has been dropped as there is no official confirmation.
“There is still no clarity regarding his exclusion from the T20 squad. Since there is no official e-mail or any confirmation over the same, we don’t know if he has been dropped, or if he himself asked for rest. I don’t think it’s right to say that he has been dropped," Rajkumar was quoted as saying.
Virat Kohli might have given rest: Rajkumar Sharma
Rajkumar said that Virat might have given rest because the team management wants to give opportunities to the youngsters as there is no major T20 competition to be played in recent times.
“There is no major T20 competition coming up, and there is still a lot of time left for the next World Cup. These guys were there for the Test matches in Bangladesh, and most of them are also available for the ODI series against Sri Lanka," he added.
“Virat Kohli might have been given rest as a lot of other senior players aren’t in the T20 team either. The team management has rested these guys and given the youngsters an opportunity. I don’t think they would replace players like them without having any conversations with them," explained Rajkumar.