Virat Kohli is unlikely to be part of the T20I series against Sri Lanka as he has reportedly asked for rest for the first leg of the series. Kohli hasn’t played a T20I since Team India’s defeat in the semi-final of the 2022 T20 World Cup. The right-handed batsman was rested for the complete New Zealand tour while India’s tour of Bangladesh didn’t include any T20I.
On the day of the selection meeting, Cricbuzz has reported that Kohli has asked for a rest for the T20I series. India U-19 team’s World Cup winning-captain, Yash Dhull, will be one of the players to watch for during the selection meeting, the report adds.
Yash has enjoyed a great run in domestic cricket since his debut after his success at the junior World Cup and has already garnered the attention of national selectors. He played in the Irani Cup at the start of the season and also made it to India A squad for the Bangladesh tour.
Yash’s white-ball numbers make him a strong contender to be part of the T20I squad. The right-handed batsman made his T20 debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and smashed 363 runs at 72.60. He batted with a strike-rate of 131.52.
Yash was bought by Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL 2022 mega-auction but surprisingly remained on the bench. He has been retained by DC for IPL 2023 and is likely to make his debut this year. Should Yash make it to the national squad, he will create a unique record of earning a T20I call-up without playing IPL.
Hardik Pandya to lead T20I team
He has been offered the captaincy of the T20I and ODI teams. The star all-rounder will convey his response to BCCI soon. Rohit Sharma hasn’t recovered from a thumb injury and is all but set to miss the T20I series.
