Virat Kohli Set to Roar Back in Indore as India Eye T20 World Cup Glory
Rohit Sharma & Co. Look to Cement Spots in World Cup Squad in Final T20I Against Afghanistan
Sunday's second and concluding match of the series between India and Afghanistan in Indore will see Virat Kohli make his T20I comeback after a break of more than a year.
Similar to skipper Rohit Sharma, Kohli was supposed to make his T20I comeback during Thursday's Mohali series opener, but he was unable to attend for personal reasons.
But Sunday's match is expected to be the first T20I that Rohit and Kohli have played together for India since the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal defeat to England in Adelaide. It makes sense that they would both want to contribute significantly to what is also India's penultimate Twenty20 international match before the World Cup in the Caribbean and the US in June.
In addition to his run-out dismissal for nought in his comeback match after a misunderstanding with Shubman Gill, Rohit's form in T20 cricket appears to have faltered recently. Like Kohli, the captain undoubtedly wants to win these two Twenty20 Internationals and leave a lasting impression before the Indian Premier League, which seems to be the real preparation for Team India's cricketers before the T20 Cup.
Speaking of Kohli, who does he replace and where does he bat? Would he be able to open with Rohit? Gill will probably be replaced if Yashasvi Jaiswal, who also missed the opening Twenty20 International owing to a sore groin, makes a full recovery. After that, Kohli can bat at No. 3, which is where he has usually batted in limited-overs cricket.
However, one of the players from the last game will have to sit out after Kohli returns. After all-rounder Shivam Dube, keeper-battler Jitesh Sharma, and Tilak Varma made an impact with the bat, off-spinner Washington Sundar—who cost a lot—and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi in the first game could be the victims of the chop. Kuldeep Yadav might possibly be brought in by India for Bishnoi.
"In mind" is the T20 Cup.
Dube is undoubtedly vying for a spot in the T20 World Cup squad after shining with an undefeated sixty in Mohali to help India grab the lead in the three-match series. But for now, he's just paying attention to one game at a time.
"Everyone who represents their nation hopes to compete in the World Cup." Still, it's a long way off. I approach everything one game at a time," Dube remarked.
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