Virat Kohli retires from T20Is? He will not play 20-over games for India

Virat Kohli T20I retirement: Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli had decided to take a very big decision in his international career. Virat has taken an indefinite break from T20 cricket, and he has also conveyed this to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). On Tuesday, this news came when some media reports suggested that Virat Kohli would not feature in the Indian T20 side for an indefinite time.

However, he has confirmed to the BCCI that he is willing to make his comeback. But the report from Insidesports.in says the former Indian skipper wants to focus more on ODIs and Test cricket, and he will not play in the shortest format at least until the start of the Indian Premier League. He has asked the BCCI not to consider him for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, he will be available for the ODI series against Sri Lanka, which will start on January 10.

Virat Kohli will not play T20Is for India

According to the report, a BCCI source told that Virat Kohli has already confirmed to the Indian Cricket Board that he will be unavailable in the shorter format for a while but will feature in ODIs. The BCCI source also told that the former Indian skipper hadn’t confirmed when Virat will be making his comeback to T20Is. He said,

“Yes, Virat has informed he is unavailable for the T20s. He will return for the ODI series. It’s unclear at the moment whether he is taking a sabbatical from T20Is. But of course, he will be in plans for important series”

Meanwhile, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who got hit on his left thumb during the ODI series against Bangladesh earlier this month, might not feature in the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka either. The BCCI doesn’t want to risk him. Thus, Hardik Pandya will lead the side, while KL Rahul will also not be part of the upcoming series.

Virat’s absence means the Indian board will look to give more chances to the youngsters as they prepare for the 2024 T20 World Cup. On the other hand, Virat has taken this decision to maintain the extra workload and to focus more on the other two formats. Team India is scheduled to play six T20Is ahead of the IPL.