While a media report had claimed that players like Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were not included in India's T20I squad for the Afghanistan series due to disciplinary issues, head coach Rahul Dravid on Wednesday dismissed these reports as fake. He also outlined the reason for their exclusion. While a media report said that Kishan was spotted partying while taking a break for mental fatigue when he had wanted to spend some time with family in Ranchi, a separate seemed to suggest that the BCCI was not happy with Shreyas Iyer who did not play the Ranji Trophy match after returning from South Africa despite poor form in that series.
Dravid though was from in saying that both the reports were not true. He said the same at the pre-match press conference ahead of the first IND vs AFG T20I at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali on January 11. "Media reports are not true - Ishan Kishan asked for the rest, he hasn't made himself available and Shreyas Iyer missed out due to lots of batters in the mix - no disciplinary actions, these are fake," the India head coach said at the pre-match presser.
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Virat Kohli Set To Miss IND vs AFG T20I Series Opener
Meanwhile, in another big announcement, India head coach Dravid confirmed that Virat Kohli will miss the 1st IND vs AFG T20I due to personal reason. He also confirmed that Kohli will be available for the final two T20Is in Indore and Bengaluru respectively. India boast of a strong record against Afghanistan in T20Is and have won four matches out of the five games that these two teams have locked horns against. The other remaining T20I ended without a result.