Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (Source: AFP Photos)
After a long time, India will be playing without both their superstars, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, in the upcoming T20 Asia Cup game against Pakistan in Dubai on September 14th. However, since the last two decades, there have been just a handful of matches where neither of them has appeared in an encounter against Pakistan.
Last Time When Both Kohli, Rohit Missed India Vs Pakistan Encounter
Incidentally, the last time both Indian superstars, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, didn't play in the game against Pakistan was not in an ODI or T20I; in fact, it was in a Test match back in the year 2007. During Pakistan's tour of India in 2007, in the third Test in Bangalore, India were without both Rohit and Virat, as neither of them was a part of the Indian Test side at that time.
India played exceedingly well in that game, as the match ended in a hard-fought draw in Bangalore. Sourav Ganguly was adjudged the player of the match and the player of the series for his vital contribution with the bat, specifically scoring 534 runs across three Test matches, as the series ended in India's favour 1-0.
However, there still remains a point that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, during their entire careers, never featured in a Test match against Pakistan.
Last White-Ball Game Where Both Didn't Play Against Pakistan
The last time both of them missed a white-ball game against Pakistan was also back in the year 2007, in the fourth ODI between India and Pakistan at Gwalior.
Pakistan were in India for the same tour, in which they featured in five ODIs and three Test matches. The ODIs preceded the Test series, where in the fourth ODI, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were not a part of the Indian side. Rohit, however, was a part of the squad but didn't feature in this game.
The only game he played in the series was the fifth ODI, following this match, and since then, both Rohit and Virat, on different occasions, have played against the Pakistan side.
In this encounter, Pakistan batted first and put up 255 runs on the board, which India chased with ease in 46.3 overs, as they then went on to win the series comfortably 3-2, as Rohit only featured in the fifth ODI of the series, which Pakistan won by 31 runs.
When Was The Last Time This Phenomenon Happened In T20Is?
Astonishingly, there has been just a single occasion in history when both Rohit and Virat didn't feature in a T20I match against Pakistan. It also happened in 2007, when India were up against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2007 group stage game in Durban. This was the same match that ended in a tie, as the result was then declared through a bowl-out.
India batted first in this game and put up just 141 for the loss of nine wickets after the end of the 20 overs, where Robin Uthappa scored a hard-fought 50. While in reply, Pakistan was also able to achieve 141 in their 20 overs. Following this, India hit three of the targets on the stumps in the bowl-out. In contrast, Pakistan couldn't hit either of them, as India were declared the winner of this thrilling game, which was also the first-ever T20I match between India and Pakistan.
Now, the upcoming game between the rivals will only be the second time when the legendary Indian superstars won't be a part of this iconic rivalry, as India are all set to feature against Pakistan in the group six match of the Asia Cup 2025 on the 14th of September at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.
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