In what comes as an unexpected development, Virat Kohli has reportedly decided to take a break from T20Is. The senior India batter was part of India’s tour of Bangladesh where he took part in both the ODI and Test series. This report comes ahead of the squad announcement for India’s T20I series against Sri Lanka at home, which gets underway on January 3. Kohli’s last appearance for India in the shortest version of the game was in the T20 World Cup 2022 semifinal against England, where he hit a half-century. Unfortunately, India ended up losing that match by 10 wickets. India Squad for Sri Lanka Series: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul Likely to Miss Home Series Against SL.

According to a report in InsideSport, Kohli is taking a temporary break from T20Is and would be unavailable for the three matches against Sri Lanka. He will, however, return for the ODIs, which start on January 10. “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. As for Rohit, it looks tough and we don’t want to rush his return. Whether he is fit is a call that will be made in the due course. He is batting but can’t take the risk in feeding,” a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying by InsideSport.

The report further claims that Kohli is set to focus on ODIs and Tests. It is unclear when he will be available to play T20Is for India and it is also not known whether he will be playing any match in the shortest version of the game. before IPL 2023. India play New Zealand in three T20Is after the Sri Lanka series. Kohli still remains in the plans for important series in the build-up to the T20 World Cup in 2024. Cricket Year Ender 2022: From Dominance in Bilaterals To Struggle in Multi-Nation Tournaments, a Look at How Men in Blue Fared This Year.

In addition, regular skipper Rohit Sharma might miss the series as well with him recovering from a thumb injury, which he sustained during the ODI series against Bangladesh earlier this month. In Rohit’s absence, Hardik Pandya is likely to be named captain for this series and many believe that he is the right man to succeed the veteran as skipper in the shortest format of the game.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 27, 2022 06:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).