Virat Kohli Ruled Out Of 1st T20I Against Afghanistan

image-lr7q1n4rVirat Kohli will miss the first T20I (X.com)

Virat Kohli, the star Indian batter has been ruled out of the 1st T20I against Afghanistan that is set to start on 11th of January. India's head coach Rahul Dravid has revealed the news in the press conference, stating that Kohli will not play the first T20I due to some personal reasons.

Virat Kohli recently made comeback into the Indian T20I side alongside Rohit Sharma and was initially set to play all three T20Is. However, it seems that some last minute work for Kohli has halted that plans and India would have to look at someone else for that number 3 spot in the first T20I at Mohali.

This is India's last series before T20 World Cup 2024 which is set to start on 1st of June, so all three games are quite critical from that World Cup point of view. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have not played T20Is since the 2022 T20 World Cup but the selectors and team management seem keen for their inclusion in a big tournament like World Cup.

In the absence of Virat Kohli, Sanju Samson might bat at number 3 for India as coach Rahul Dravid revealed that Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the innings. 

Virat Kohli though will be available for the second and third T20I and would be itching to make an impact straightaway to shed off any doubts that might be creeping on his participation in T20 World Cup.