Here's Why Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma Aren't Playing India Vs New Zealand T20 Series

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's absence from India's T20 team raised speculations whether BCCI plans to not allow these legends to take part in the T20 World Cup 2023.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma haven't played a T20 match for India since the 2022 T20 World Cup.

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Team India is currently hosting New Zealand for a three-match T20 series after whitewashing the visitors 3-0 in the recently-concluded three-match ODI series. Hardik Pandya, the star in-form all-rounder, is leading a young squad against the Kiwis in the T20 series, with no big names like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Ever since the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been leading India's T20 team. Also, both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, two of the highest run-scorers in T20I cricket, haven't played a T20 match for India since the 2022 T20 World Cup. Virat and Rohit's absence from T20s raised speculations whether BCCI plans to not allow these legends to take part in the T20 World Cup 2023.

Why Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma aren't playing India vs New Zealand T20 Series?

Team India's head coach Rahul Dravid recently explained during a presser that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are not dropped from India's T20 squad and have been rested ahead of the all-important four-match Test series between India and Australia, set to start from next month.

"So the priority after last year's T20 World Cup has been these six games and Virat has played all these six games and he will get a bit of a break along with Rohit," Dravid said on the eve of 3rd ODI between India and New Zealand last week.

For the unversed, Rohit Sharma has been facing heat for his own poor form and team's performance under his captaincy, especially in major ICC events like Asia Cup and T20 World Cup 2022.

However, 34-year-old ex-India skipper Virat Kohli has been in great form recently. He scored 781 runs in 20 T20 Internationals last year with a jaw-dropping average of 55.78.