Former India captain and ace batter Virat Kohli is expected to be rested from the third and final T20I against South Africa which will be played at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on October 4. India has already won the three-match series after winning the first two T20Is.
Kohli played a stellar knock during India's historic win over South Africa in Guwahati on Tuesday by scoring an emphatic 49 not out off 28 balls. India posted 237/3 with KL Rahul (57) and Suryakumar Yadav (61) slamming crucial fifties.
Despite David Miller’s 106* and 69* from Quinton de Kock, the Proteas fell short by 16 runs, finishing at 221/3 in 20 overs, losing the match by 16 runs and they also lost their first-ever T20I series in India as well.
As per a Hindustan Times report, the Indian team management has decided to rest Virat Kohli, who has featured in all of India's matches since the Asia Cup, has been given a breather.
"He [Kohli] has played back-to-back matches. Will have to be careful about his workload. With the T20 World Cup starting later this month, we want Virat to be fresh mentally and physically. He has featured regularly for India in T20I matches since the Asia Cup and with the series already won, it's better to give him a breather and someone else can be handed a game ahead of him," sources in the know of things told Hindustan Times.
Virat Kohli struggled to make runs in the first half of the year, but then took a break from cricket, missing the series in West Indies and Zimbabwe.
He came back refreshed in the Asia Cup 2022 and hit two fifties and his maiden T20I century as well. Since making his comeback in the Asia Cup, Kohli has scored 404 runs from 10 matches, including three fifties and a century.
He most recently slammed a crucial 63 off 48 balls against Australia in the series-deciding T20I, helping India win the series 2-1.
