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Virat Kohli to be dropped from T20 World Cup squad (Source: BCCI)
KEY POINTS
- Virat Kohli could be dropped from the T20 World Cup squad.
- “BCCI feels West Indies’ slow wickets don’t suit Kohli.”
- Ajit Agarkar will talk about Kohli’s future in T20Is.
Virat Kohli He will have to perform extremely well in IPL 2024 to defend the T20 World Cup equipment. If the ‘Telegraph’ report is to be believed, the selectors are not very interested in picking Kohli for the T20 World Cup as the management believes that the veteran has not been able to cope with the team’s needs in the shortest format.
Kohli has not played any T20I cricket since the 2022 T20 World Cup, however, he was picked in the squad for the Afghanistan T20I series along with Rohit Sharma. BCCI secretary Jay Shah later confirmed Rohit Sharma as T20 World Cup captain, however, he remained tight-lipped when asked about Virat Kohli’s T20I future.
The report claims that the BCCI has left the conundrum of Kohli’s selection to chief selector Ajit Agarkar, adding that not many people are willing to get involved as it is a very sensitive matter. Agarkar is understood to have spoken to Kohli about the much-needed change in approach in T20Is, which Kohli tried to implement in the T20I series against Afghanistan, albeit without much success.
The management feels that the West Indies’ slow wickets do not suit Kohli, so Ajit Agarkar will convince the veteran to make way for the youngsters. The BCCI believes that youngsters like Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube, among others, have a lot more to offer than Kohli in the T20I format.
Meanwhile, the report further reveals that KL Rahul is the preferred choice to fill the goalkeeper spot in the T20 World Cup squad, however, his fitness remains a concern for the selectors. Dhruv Jurel had a magnificent Test series against England and Jitesh Sharma impressed everyone with his excellent batting in the limited T20Is that he played for India. The selectors will closely monitor the youngsters’ performance in the IPL and a good outing could pave the way for their selection in the T20 World Cup squad.
Provisional teams for the T20 World Cup must be submitted to the ICC by the first week of May.