Rahul Dravid, head coach of Indian Cricket Team, attended a press conference on 10th January. He stated that Virat Kohli won’t be part of playing XI for first T20I against Afghanistan. He defended the reason for bringing back Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli back into the squad. He stated that Indian team needs their experience along with exuberance of the youth.
Rahul Dravid also stated that Virat Kohli has decided to stay unavailable due to personal reasons. He clarified about the rumors about Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan exclusion from the squad. Several news reports have stated that BCCI has taken disciplinary action on Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer. Kishan has been attending parties in Dubai, hence he has been dropped for disciplinary reasons.
Rahul Dravid condemned such reports. He stated that that nothing of that sort has been going on. He said, “Media reports are not true – Ishan Kishan asked for the rest, he hasn’t made himself available and Shreyas Iyer missed out due to lots of batters in the mix – no disciplinary actions, these are fake.” He clearly stated that Shreyas Iyer has been rested to give balance for the playing XI.
Ishan Kishan has himself asked for rest. Virat Kohli will also be rested for 11th January, T20i against Afghanistan. He will be back for 2nd and 3rd T20Is. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the innings. Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma will be part of the playing XI. Already, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya have been unavailable due to injuries.
Superstar Mahesh Babu thanks Guntur people for a memorable experience