"It's A Different Feeling...": Virat Kohli's 1st Interview After World Cup Final Loss Has Him Talking About 'Job Satisfaction' In Tests

23.12.2023 - 07:46 sports.ndtv.com

All eyes will be on Virat Kohli as India take on South Africa in a two-match Test series. Kohli will return to action after being out of action for more than a month, following India's World Cup final loss to Australia on November 19.

India have not won a Test series in the Rainbow Nation, but came close to doing so during their last tour under Kohli's leadership.

India won the first Test, but conceded the series 1-2 against the Proteas, with Kohli missing the second Test due to a back injury.

With wounds of India's World Cup final loss yet to be healed, Kohli and Team India, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, will look to create history by winning the Test series.

cricket South Africa Cricket Team India Cricket Team South Africa vs India cup loss Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Star Sports Australia South Africa India

A lot of debate took place over Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's possible inclusion in the T20 World Cup 2024 squad but a return to T20I cricket after 14 months in the series against Afghanistan has possibly provided a sneak peek at what the Indian cricket team selectors are planning for the future. Both Rohit and Virat will be making their return to the shortest format of the sport after last playing in November 2022. While questions still remain over their T20 World Cup selection, Sunil Gavaskar backed both of them to make the cut even if they have an ordinary Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 campaign.

"Why Didn't Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Play After T20 World Cup..." Ex-BCCI Selector's Big Take On Stars' T20I Comeback

The biggest development that will happening in Indian cricket starting on Thursday will be the return of Rohit Sharma in T20I cricket. Both he and Virat Kohli were named in the T20I squad for the three match series against Afghanistan, which is the last T20I contest that Indian cricket team will be playing ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup. While Virat Kohli will not play the first T20I against Afghanistan, Rohit Sharma will play. Speaking to Star Sports, former Chief of Selectors MSK Prasad spoke on having the best possible team play against Afghanistan

India's Predicted XI vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I: Who Will Take Virat Kohli's Place?

Team India will be squaring off against Afghanistan in the first T20I of the three-match series on Thursday in Mohali. Skipper Rohit Sharma, who will be playing first T20I match since World Cup 2022, will be leading the side. However, star batter Virat Kohli, who was also returning to the shortest format along with Rohit, pulled out of the first game, due to personal reasons. Apart from this duo, this series will also mark a comeback of wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson in T20I cricket.

Virat Kohli Will Not Play 1st T20I Against Afghanistan. India Coach Rahul Dravid Says Reason Is...

The buildup to the India vs Afghanistan T20I series has been all about the return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma into the T20I format. The star batters last played a T20I match at the 2022 T20 World Cup, where India lost in the semi-finals. Since then they have been limited to ODIs and Tests. However, for the last T20I series that India will play before the 2024 T20 World Cup, the Indian cricket team management recalled both. However, at the pre-match press conference, Rahul Dravid revealed that Virat Kohli will not be playing the first T20I against Afghanistan on Thursday.

"You Can't Say...": India Legend On Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli Playing T20 World Cup 2024

Legendary Indian cricket team batter Krishnamachari Srikkanth believes that both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be part of the T20 World Cup 2024 squad if they are available for selection. The two veteran cricketers have not played T20I cricket for quite some time and ahead of the T20I series against Afghanistan, a lot of questions have been asked about their possible inclusion. However, Srikkanth said that both of them will be looking to win the World Cup title and they cannot be ignored for the competition.

Will Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's IPL Show Impact T20 World Cup 2024 Inclusion? Ex-Selector Reveals

The selectors have clearly gone for the status quo rather than addressing the elephant in the room by picking Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for their first T20 series in 14 months. Will it have a bearing on India's chances in another T20 World Cup? Only time can tell. Having endured a heartbreak in the previous two editions of the T20 World Cup, the two greats of the game can't be faulted for wanting a final shot at glory in the format. But the same can't be said about the selectors, who picked a fresh bunch of players to take the team forward since the crushing semifinal loss to England in November 2022. Now that Rohit and Kohli have been picked for the home series against Afghanistan beginning on January 11, it is a given that the famed duo will be a part of India's squad for the ICC showpiece in the US and Caribbean in June.