Furious Virat Kohli fans abused Rohit Sharma with expletives on X after reports emerged that the India captain may not include the talismanic batter in the playing XI for the remaining two T20Is against Afghanistan.

 

Earlier, Rahul Dravid confirmed that the talismanic India batter will miss the first T20I against Afghanistan because of personal reasons.  

 

“Virat Kohli will miss the first game due to personal reasons. He will be playing from the second and third T20I,” Rahul Dravid told reporters in the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

 

The series against Afghanistan is Team India's last T20I assignment before the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the US in June.

 

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returned to India's T20I squad after more than a year. In fact, this would be their first series in the shortest format since India's defeat to eventual champions England in the semifinals of the last T20 World Cup in Australia.

 

Latest reports suggest that Rohit Sharma is on course to lead in the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the US in June.

 

While Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have made themselves available for the T20 World Cup, the latter's place in the national squad for the premier competition is reportedly not guaranteed as the selectors are keen to infuse fresh blood in the team.

 

Interestingly, the doubts over Virat Kohli's place in India's T20 squad for the World Cup come despite the Delhi-born cricketer being the highest run-getter in the last edition of the competition in Australia in 2022.

 

Moreover, if one talks about strike rate, which is the most crucial factor for a batter in T20Is, Virat Kohli's strike rate was much better than Rohit Sharma's in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

 

According to reports, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been picked for the T20I series against Afghanistan, with the rider that an impressive showing in the three matches against the Central Asian side isn't a guarantee for a place in the squad for the T20 World Cup later this year.

 

The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee has reportedly conveyed to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma that they would have to score heavily in the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be in contention for a spot in the T20 World Cup.

 

Unlike Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma hasn't been in the best of forms in T20Is. The 36-year-old made only 656 runs at an average of 24.29 and a strike rate of 134.42 in T20Is in 2022, the last year he featured for Team India in the format. 

 

In contrast, Virat Kohli was a prolific scorer in 2022, scoring 781 runs in 20 T20I matches at a superb average of 55.78 and a strike rate of 138.23.

 

The legendary Sunil Gavaskar reckoned that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma need to have a good IPL if they have to seal their spots in the T20 World Cup squad.

 

“I feel the IPL form will be crucial because that will be the current form. The Afghanistan series is in January. The World Cup is in June. So whoever has good form in March, April and May should be given consideration first, that performance should be given consideration. Along with that, I will also say that even if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have an ordinary IPL, but they score runs there, you cannot score runs in every match, but suppose they make good contributions in five out of 14 matches, you will have to take advantage of their experience, and you can probably pick them in the team,” Sunil Gavaskar noted.

 

“I will also say that, it's an out-of-the-box suggestion, you can take them along with the team as well, if you cannot pick them in the 14 (15), because of their experience. If Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are in the dugout, imagine what will be the team's confidence,” the 1983 World Cup winner added.

 

On Thursday, India opened the three-match series against Afghanistan with a six-wicket win with Shivam Dube's unbeaten 60 off 40 balls and meaningful contributions from Shubman Gill (23), Tilak Varma (26), and Jitesh Sharma (31) sealed the deal for the hosts.

 

It was Rohit Sharma's first T20I for India since the Men in Blue's humiliating defeat to England in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup in Australia in November 2022.

 

It turned out to be a night to remember for Rohit Sharma as he became the first men's skipper to accomplish 100 wins in T20Is. Pakistan's Shoaib Malik (86) and Virat Kohli (73) trail the Nagpur-born cricketer in this department.

 

If one takes into account the women, Danni Wyatt of England has more victories to her name than Rohit Sharma in T20Is. While her win count in the format stands at 111, Australian women's skipper Alyssa Healy and her national teammate Elysse Perry have also achieved 100 wins in T20Is.

 

After India's win, a happy-looking Rohit Sharma credited his bowlers, especially the spinners for the victory.

 

“It was extremely cold to be honest. Now I am okay. Obviously when the ball hits the tip of the finger it is a little sore. When the ball hit my fingers I couldn't feel my fingers,” Rohit Sharma said in the post-match presentation ceremony. 

 

“Lot of positives, especially with the ball. Wasn't the easiest of conditions but our spinners bowled particularly well,” he added.

 

Rohit Sharma also spoke about his angry reaction following the misunderstanding between him and Shubman Gill, resulting in his run-out for a duck during India's run chase. 

 

“Honestly these things happen. When it happens you feel frustrated because you want to be out there and score runs for your team. Wanted Gill to carry on. He played a good innings but got out. Lot of positives – Shivam Dube, the way Jitesh batted, Tilak as well and obviously Rinku,” the India captain continued. 

 

“Want to try a few things. Want to make the bowlers do a few different things. Like how Washy bowled the 19th today. Keeping those things in mind, we'll try to do different things. But not at the cost of winning,” Rohit Sharma summed up.

 

The second match of the three-game series between India and Afghanistan will be played at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday. 

 

After triumphing in Mohali, Rohit Sharma and his boys will look to seal the series against the Central Asian side in Madhya Pradesh.

 

It would be interesting to see if Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid will bring back Virat Kohli into the playing XI in Indore after the talismanic batter missed the first match in Mohali due to personal reasons.

 

Virat Kohli's admirers showed their concern about the possibility of Rohit Sharma not picking the 35-year-old in the starting XI in the second T20I against Afghanistan.

 

That's why the vast legion of Virat Kohli fans brutally trolled Rohit Sharma on the microblogging platform. They even questioned the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for appointing Rohit Sharma as the skipper of the national side despite his prolonged run of poor performances in T20Is.

 

While fans may be fighting amongst themselves over Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's places in India's T20I set-up, ex-cricketer Suresh Raina voiced his support for the inclusion of the two players in the squad for the T20 World Cup later this year.

“India will need both Virat and Rohit in the T20 World Cup. Both have a lot of experience. Virat's form was amazing in the ODI World Cup. Rohit's form was stupendous too. Rohit as a leader brings a lot of quality in the dressing room. He brings a lot of intent in the dressing room,” Suresh Raina told Times of India. 

 

“The major point is where Virat and Rohit will bat. Virat will come in at No. 3 and Rohit will open. The middle order will get a lot of help from these two experienced batters,” he elaborated.

 

“The World Cup will be played in the USA and Caribbean, so wickets will be different. India will need the experienced hands of Virat and Rohit there. When the youth will come, fearless cricket will be played. Shreyas Iyer is there, Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are there. So, India will need experience and that's where Rohit and Virat will play big roles and will be needed by India,” Suresh explained.

 

“India will need Virat and Rohit especially when we will chase the target in those conditions. They both have played in the World Cup final and are fresh, so they would definitely want to win this World Cup for Team India,” he concluded.