Here’s why KL Rahul missed out on selection for Afghanistan T20Is
In a much-anticipated development, the Indian Cricket Board unveiled the squad for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan yesterday, and the biggest headline isn’t the series itself, but the names that are etched upon it: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. After a long hiatus from the shortest format, the star duo is back, injecting a potent dose of experience and firepower into the Indian T20I squad.
Their absence, a strategic decision to prioritize Test and ODI commitments, coincided with a period of experimentation for the Indian T20 side. However, now that the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies is fast approaching, the selectors have now brought them back into the mix.
Kohli, the quintessential run-machine, returns with renewed hunger after rediscovering his form, having scored runs for fun in the IPL and the ODI World Cup, by breaking multiple records along the way. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma, the charismatic skipper, brings in tactical nous and a wealth of T20 experience. His return to the top of the order and fans will hope that he continues to play in the attacking and positive manner that he has embraced in the last year or so.
The Afghanistan series, starting on January 11th, is a huge one for India as the team does not play any more T20Is before the marquee tournament in June. It is also true, but for Kohli and Sharma, it presents a crucial platform to re-acclimatize to the T20 arena. The pressure won’t be as intense as a World Cup, but their performances will be dissected with microscopic precision, every boundary and missed ball carrying the weight of expectation.
KL Rahul’s T20 exile continues
While the likes of Kohli and Sharma were back in the scheme, KL Rahul was not picked. He lost his T20 spot after the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022 and has been out of the team’s plans in the shortest format of the game since then. Rahul’s defensive and timid approach cost India heavily in that tournament following which the selectors preferred the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill. Rahul recently declared that he would now play in the middle order even in T20s. However, he was not considered for that role either since he is largely untested. However, a comeback cannot be ruled out if he has a great run in the IPL.
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