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Why Virat Kohli is not in T20 squad: Is Virat Kohli playing today’s IND vs ENG T20I in Southampton?

Dixit Bhargav
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Why Virat Kohli is not in T20 squad: Is Virat Kohli playing today's IND vs ENG T20I in Southampton?

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JULY 03: Virat Kohli of India batting during the 1st Vitality International T20 match between England and India at Emirates Old Trafford on July 3, 2018 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

Why Virat Kohli is not in T20 squad: The former Indian captain had last played a T20I almost five months ago.

The first T20I of the ongoing India’s tour of England will be played in Southampton tomorrow. It is noteworthy that it will be India’s first-ever T20I at The Rose Bowl.

Two of the leading teams in international cricket, the fascinating prospect of a three-match England vs India T20I series scheduled to be played within four days has it in it to allure the eyeballs from across the globe.

Why Virat Kohli is not in T20 squad?

With both the teams finishing a Test match just over 24 hours ago in Birmingham, a completely different set of 22 players will participate in the first T20I between England and India in the last 15 months.

As a result, it shouldn’t be surprising for fans as to why former India captain Virat Kohli’s name in not in India’s 18-member squad for the first T20I. Kohli, however, will be available for the second and third T20I to be played on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

ALSO READ: England vs India 1st T20I Pitch Report, The Rose Bowl, Southampton

Coming on the back of a 2-0 series victory in Ireland, the only player added to the Indian squad is captain Rohit Sharma. Having missed the Edgbaston Test due to COVID-19, Sharma will return to action as the leader of the T20I squad. Had Sharma played the Test, even he would’ve missed the first T20I due to a mere one-day gap between the two matches.

As far as the squad for the second and third T20Is is concerned, Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah will return in place of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi, Venkatesh Iyer and Arshdeep Singh.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Dixit Bhargav

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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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