New Delhi: Virat Kohli will not be available for selection for the first of the upcoming 3-match T20I series against Afghanistan due to personal reasons. India and Afghanistan will meet in the bilateral series from January 11 with the series opener set to be played in Mohali.

Rahul Dravid said that Kohli will join the squad for the 2nd and 3rd T20Is

Speaking to the press on the eve of the first T20I, coach Rahul Dravid said that Kohli will join the squad for the 2nd and 3rd T20Is which will be held in Indore and Bengaluru on January 14 and 17, respectively.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were picked for the T20I series after weeks of speculation about their future in the shortest format of the game. Rohit and Kohli last played a T20I in November 2022 during the T20 World Cup semi-final in Adelaide. The two batters, along with KL Rahul, focused on ODI and Test in the 50-over World Cup year in 2023.

However, it emerged that both Rohit and Kohli made themselves available for selection ahead of the New Year’s T20I series against Afghanistan. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar traveled to Cape Town during the 2nd of a 2-match Test series between India and South Africa in the first week of January to know the two senior batters’ plans in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup.