Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have not been picked in India’s white-ball squads for the tour of South Africa, raising further questions over their future in the two formats.
According to the BCCI, Rohit and Kohli were excluded from selection as they requested a break from white-ball activities on tour. Both have been selected for the two-match Test series to be played in Centurion and Cape Town on 26 December and 3 January.
Rohit will lead the Test side.
Notes 👇👇
· Mr Rohit Sharma and Mr Virat Kohli had requested the Board for a break from the white-ball leg of the tour.
· Mr Mohd. Shami is currently undergoing medical treatment and his availability is subject to fitness.#SAvIND– BCCI (@BCCI) 3 2023 Jan 11
Both Rohit and Kohli have not played a T20I in 2023 and their future in the shortest format is uncertain. According to reports, Rohit was expected to lead the T20I team against the Proteas as he saw a surge in powerplay in the recent ODI World Cup. He has not played an opening T20 international since India’s semi-final exit in last year’s World Cup, with India’s lack of intent being criticized.
While Rohit is still officially India’s T20I captain, Hardik Pandya led the team in his absence, but the all-rounder’s ankle injury ruled him out of the South Africa series . Instead, Suryakumar Yadav will be the captain.
Both the regular players have also decided to skip the ODI series following the T20I. This will be India’s first ODI since the World Cup final. Although KL Rahul will be his ODI captain, some of India’s Test players have not been selected for this series, which is inconsistent with the red-ball preparations.
