“We’ll see those names again” – AB de Villiers feels Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma rested but not dropped from IND vs WI T20Is

AB de Villiers believes that former India captain Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been rested for the five-match T20I series ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup later this year.

The former South Africa captain reckons that the two senior batters will make a comeback in T20Is following the conclusion of the ICC’s 50-over tournament.

For the uninitiated, Kohli and Rohit are yet to play in T20Is following the 2022 T20 World Cup. They were previously ignored for the home T20I series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand earlier this year.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, AB de Villiers said:

“No Virat Kohli, no Rohit Sharma. I think this is the new look Indian T20 squad maybe for the really big series against who knows who? Or World Cup?"

He continued:

"We’ll see those names again, but I do like the Indian squad being a bit proactive and giving these youngsters a turn to show what their mettle is all about. Ultimately, Virat [Kohli] and Rohit [Sharma] also get some rest for that [ODI] World Cup coming up.”

The development came even as Kohli smashed 639 runs in 14 games, including two centuries for his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2023. The right-handed batter emerged as the highest run-scorer in T20 World Cup, scoring 296 runs in six games at a strike rate of 136.41.

On the other hand, Rohit had an underwhelming IPL 2023 season, scoring 332 runs in 16 games, including two half-centuries. The opening batter managed just 116 runs in six games at a strike rate of 106.42 in the T20 World Cup.

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“In my opinion, the best leg-spinner out there” – AB de Villiers on Yuzvendra Chahal

AB de Villiers further lauded his former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammate Yuzvendra Chahal, who didn’t get a game at the 2022 T20 World Cup. He labeled him as the ‘best leg-spinner’. He said:

“Very good to see Yuzvendra Chahal there. In my opinion, the best legspinner out there. With Kuldeep Yadav, they gonna be difficult to stop. Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel, some really good spinners there.”

Chahal recently scalped 21 wickets in 14 games at an economy rate of 8.17 for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2023. The 32-year-old also broke Dwayne Bravo’s (183 scalps) record for most wickets in IPL history.

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AB de Villiers hails inclusion of youngsters in India's new-look T20I squad

The 39-year-old further hailed Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma and Umran Malik for their inclusion in the T20I side. He said:

“Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma, the two youngsters with bat in hand. They both looked very dangerous in the IPL.”

De Villiers continued:

“What I do like in the pace department is seeing Umran Malik there. Raw pace. We saw him in the IPL with the batters jump around when he is bowling.”

For the uninitiated, Jaiswal amassed 625 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 163.61, including one century and five fifties for RR in IPL 2023. Meanwhile, Varma scored 343 runs in 11 games at a strike rate of 164.11, including a solitary half-century for Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2023.

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India’s T20I squad against West Indies: Ishan Kishan (wk), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Surya Kumar Yadav (VC), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya (C), Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.

The T20I series will be played from August 3 to 13. Hardik Pandya is expected to lead the side.