Why Rohit Sharma not playing today: Why is Virat Kohli not playing today’s 1st Test between India and New Zealand?

Virat Kohli not playing: India will be taking the field without many first-choice players in the first Test against New Zealand.

During the first day of the first Test of the ongoing New Zealand’s tour of India in Kanpur, India captain Ajinkya Rahane has won the toss and chose to bat.

“Looking to bat first. Pitch looks really good. Generally slows down later on here. It’s an opportunity for all of us here to do well here and in Mumbai,” Rahane told Star Sports at the toss.

Much like Rahane, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson also wanted to bat first at the Green Park today. “We would have batted first as well. But we got the ball in hand first, so it’s important we get some early wickets. Looking forward to this challenge,” Williamson told Star Sports at the toss.

Why is Virat Kohli not playing vs New Zealand?

A primary reason why Rahane is leading the team in this match is the absence of regular Test captain Virat Kohli. Apart from Kohli, players such as Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah are also not playing this match.

Readers must note that all these players have been rested for this match to manage their workloads. Having played in the ICC World Test Championship final, Test series against England, Indian Premier League 2021 Phase 2 and ICC T20 World Cup in a row, these players had been on the road since June this year and deserve this break ahead of India’s tour of South Africa 2021-22.

While Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal will open the batting for India in Sharma and Rahul’s absence today, batter Shreyas Iyer was handed a Test debut on the eve of the match. While Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel are three spin-bowling option for India, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav are likely to share the new ball.

Congratulations @ShreyasIyer15 go well budd. #debut #TestCricket

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) November 25, 2021

“Few of the senior guys are missing. So, it’s an opportunity for the youngsters. Shreyas [Iyer] is making his debut. We are all excited to play under the new coaching staff. I personally enjoy playing under Rahul bhai [head coach],” Rahane added.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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