'He Might Have Been Rested' - Virat Kohli's Childhood Coach Says After India Batter's Exclusion From SL T20Is

Keeping all the stats in mind, cricket fans and experts have started questioning whether Kohli has been dropped or rested.

Virat Kohli in action.

Source : Getty

The BCCI named the Indian squads for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka, starting from January 3. Many big names are missing from the T20I squad. Former India skipper Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and KL Rahul are not there in the T20I side but they will be playing the ODI series. Hardik Pandya will lead the side and Suryakumar Yadav will assist him.

Despite being the second-highest run-getter for Team India in T20Is in 2022, Virat Kohli failed to secure a place in the T20I squad that will play against Sri Lanka. Kohli has collected 781 runs in 20 matches at an outstanding average of 55.78 in T20Is this year. He was also the highest run-getter in the recently passed T20 World Cup 2022 as he scored 296 runs in six matches at an impressive average of 98.66. Keeping all the stats in mind, cricket fans and experts have started questioning whether Kohli has been dropped or rested.

Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma shared his views on India News Sports on Wednesday and said, "There is still no clarity regarding his exclusion from the T20 squad. Since there is no official e-mail or any confirmation over the same, we don't know if he has been dropped, or if he himself asked for rest. I don't think it's right to say that he has been dropped”.

"There is no major T20 competition coming up, and there is still a lot of time left for the next World Cup. These guys were there for the Test matches in Bangladesh, and most of them are also available for the ODI series against Sri Lanka," he added.

"Virat Kohli might have been given rest as a lot of other senior players aren't in the T20 team either. The team management has rested these guys and given the youngsters an opportunity. I don't think they would replace players like them without having any conversations with them," stated Rajkumar.

The first T20I between India and Sri Lanka will take place on Tuesday at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.