India’s cricket selectors have decided to leave out Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the T20 squad for the upcoming home series against New Zealand, as they consider making major long-term changes. The decision comes after India’s disappointing performance in the World Cup semi-final against England in November, which prompted soul-searching within the cricket board and talk of phasing out senior players.
Both Kohli and Sharma will still be part of the one-day squad for the series against New Zealand. Kohli, in particular, has been in great form lately, as evidenced by his recent century against Sri Lanka in an ODI match in Guwahati. Sharma, who is the regular all-format captain, also scored a half century in the same match.
Batsman KL Rahul and all-rounder Axar Patel will not be available for the ODI and T20 matches due to family commitments, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said. However, it did not give any specific reason for the T20 omissions of Kohli and Sharma. Hardik Pandya will continue to captain the T20 side, having done so against Sri Lanka earlier this month.
The three-match ODI series against New Zealand begins on Wednesday in Hyderabad while the first of three T20 matches takes place at Ranchi on January 27. India will then go into a home Test series against Australia on February 9. The omission of Kohli and Sharma from the T20 squad will raise questions about the future of these players in the team, especially with the T20 World Cup scheduled to be held later this year.
In conclusion, India’s cricket selectors have decided to leave out Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the T20 squad for the upcoming home series against New Zealand. This decision comes after India’s poor performance in the World Cup semi-final against England in November. Both Kohli and Sharma will still be part of the one-day squad for the series against New Zealand. However, the omission of these players from the T20 squad will raise questions about the future of these players in the team.
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