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Virat Kohli will not play the first T20I against AFG

The buildup to the India vs. Afghanistan T20I series has been all about the return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to the T20I format. The star batters last played a T20I match at the 2022 T20 World Cup, where India lost in the semi-finals. Since then, they have been limited to ODIs and tests. However, for the last T20I series that India will play before the 2024 T20 World Cup, the Indian cricket team management recalled both. However, at the pre-match press conference, Rahul Dravid, the head coach of team India, revealed that Virat Kohli will not be playing the first T20I against Afghanistan on Thursday.

According to a report, the BCCI selectors had discussions with Virat Kohli regarding expectations from him. The communication was regarding his role in the shortest format for India. In fact, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar met him in Cape Town, according to the report.

On Wednesday, Rahul Dravid revealed that Virat Kohli would miss the first T20I due to personal reasons and would be available for the second and third T20Is. He also said that Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma would open the batting. The report added that it is not clear if such a similar discussion took place with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill.