While the spirits of the Mohali crowd were dampened a bit by the absence of Virat Kohli in the first T20I against Afghanistan, the 35-year-old superstar Indian player is set to return in the second T20I in Indore.
India won the first T20I comfortably by 6 wickets with Shivam Dube showcasing his all-round skillset and bagging the Player of the Match award.
The second T20I will take place on Sunday at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore, which has one of the flattest T20 decks and a small boundary dimension in the country.
Virat Kohli had been named in the squad by the BCCI. However, on the eve of the first T20I, head coach Rahul Dravid revealed that Kohli had taken leave from the Mohali game due to personal reasons. Now, he will be back to feature in the remaining two T20Is against Afghanistan, which are the only two T20Is left for India to play before the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA.
The question for the management is who will Virat Kohli replace on his return to the side in the second T20I against Afghanistan, and if there will be more than one change in the batting department.
In the first match, India’s top three comprised Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Tilak Varma. Rahul Dravid had confirmed a day before the game that Yashasvi Jaiswal would open alongside Rohit, but at the toss, Rohit revealed that Jaiswal has a groin sore, paving the way for Gill to come in the side, although there was a possibility of Gill batting at number 3 and Varma sitting on the bench.
Rohit Sharma got run-out for a duck. Gill batted breezily, scoring 23 runs off 12 balls, an innings that Rohit praised in his post-match comments. Varma scored 26 runs in 22 balls.
Who will Virat Kohli replace in second T20I vs Afghanistan?
It seems that Virat Kohli will come in the XI replacing Tilak Varma. And as impressive as Gill’s brief knock was, since Dravid had declared Jaiswal as the preferred opener over Gill, the left-hander should replace Gill.
The rest of the team is likely to remain the same.
Also Read: “Mahi Bhai Please Listen To Raina”: Shivam Dube Shares A Hilarious Joke About His Bowling
