Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli make well-awaited return for Afghanistan T20Is

For the first time since the heartbreak against England in Adelaide at the 2022 T20 World Cup, the experienced duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the T20I setup. Whilst there were talks of Rohit returning as the skipper for the South Africa series, the right-handed opener has finally returned in that role for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. 

On the other hand, Kohli opted out of the white-ball leg of the South Africa series, with his prime focus on the red-ball series, where he excelled with his consistent batting display. The return of the two brings about a question mark to the likes of Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who opened in the series against South Africa. 

With no Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have named Sanju Samson in the setup as the back-up wicketkeeper. Barring that, the BCCI have picked Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, and Shivam Dube, who have all impressed in the shortest format over the last two years. 

On the bowling front, India have stuck with the likes of Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar. Whether Ravindra Jadeja has been rested from the series is yet to be revealed. In all possibilities, Jasprit Bumrah has been given a deserved break, considering that he is a sure-shot starter in India’s scheme of things. 

India's T20I squad for series vs Afghanistan

Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar