Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
BCCI's decision to rest Virat Kohli for India vs West Indies T20I series triggers meme-fest on Twitter
Virat Kohli didn't feature in the 18-member squad that will take on the West Indies in the five-match T20I series, that begins on July 29.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday announced the T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against the West Indies. While Rohit Sharma will return to the side after being rested for three ODIs in the Caribbean island, star India batter Virat Kohli is not named in the 18-member squad. Additionally, the availability of KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav is subject to fitness while Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal are also rested for the series.
The absence of Kohli raised eyebrows immediately among the fans, as Kohli has been going through a rough patch with the bat over the past few months. The Indian batter had a disappointing outing in the 2022 Indian Premier League, and failed to make a mark in the rescheduled fifth Test and the T20I series against England.
Regardless, the decision to rest Kohli has sparked a meme-fest on Twitter, with many poking fun at BCCI for excluding the batter on the tour despite his poor form.
Kohli made a return to the T20I squad in the series against England, but failed to make a mark across two games, scoring 1 and 11. Ahead of the first match of the series, Kohli faced a mild groin injury and was forced to miss the Oval ODI.
Here's how the fans reacted to Kohli's absence in the squad:
Hardik Pandya will also return to the T20I squad after being rested for ODIs. However, Sanju Samson and Umran Malik are two of the notable omissions from the T20I squad; while Samson produced an impressive performance against Ireland in the second T20I, Umran did prove expensive in the final T20I against England where he conceded 56 runs in four overs.
The T20I series begins on July 29 with the first match at Trinidad. It will be followed by games at St Kitts (August 1 and 2), and Lauderhill (August 6 and 7).
