India vs Afghanistan: Virat Kohli to miss first T20I in Mohali due to personal reasons, says Rahul Dravid

Veteran India batter Virat Kohli will miss the first T20I against Afghanistan that starts on Thursday (11 January) due to personal reasons, head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed on Wednesday. Kohli, along with Rohit Sharma had been named in India’s squad for the three-match series against Afghanistan, with Rohit set to lead. Both Kohli and Rohit’s last T20I appearance was during India’s semi-final defeat at the hands of England at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. “Virat Kohli will miss the first game due to personal reasons,” Dravid said at the pre-match press conference in Mohali. “He will be playing from the second and third T20I,” he added. The inclusion of Kohli and Rohit in the squad, however left fans divided. While some were happy with the fact that their favourite stars were back in the shortest format, others felt that the team management should have named a team filled with youngsters and fresh faces. Dravid also confirmed that Rohit would open with Yashasvi Jaiswal. “We’re certainly opening with Rohit and Jaiswal. When you have such a squad, you have the flexibility to do what is in the best interest of the team. Nothing is closed but we’re happy with what Jaiswal has done as an opener for us. He gives us a left-hand combination as well at the top,” said Dravid. The first T20I in Mohali will be followed by the second T20I (14 January in Indore) and the third T20I (17 January in Bengaluru) respectively. The T20I series will be India’s last before the 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA, scheduled to start from 1 June.