Kohli was named in India’s squad for the first two Tests but he withdrew his name days before the opening match and decided to give a miss to the entire series.
Batting great Sunil Gavaskar made a cheeky remark on Virat Kohli’s absence from the Indian team in the ongoing Test series against England. Kohli, who recently became a father for the second time, opted out of the five-match series due to personal reasons. The batting star was initially named in India’s squad for the first two Tests but he withdrew his name days before the opening match and decided to give a miss to the entire series.
Sunil Gavaskar feels Virat Kohli may not play in IPL 2024
Meanwhile, the 35-year-old is expected to return to competitive cricket with the upcoming season of IPL where his team Royal Challengers Bangalore will play the opener against Chennai Super Kings on March 22.
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Gavaskar cheekily replied when asked at an event if the RCB star would be hungry for runs in the IPL as he will be returning to the field after a long break.
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“Kya woh khelenge… kuch reason ke liye khel nahin rahe hain, shaayad ho sakta hai ki IPL ki liye bhi na khele (Will he play? He is not playing because of some reason, perhaps he may not play in IPL as well,” Gavaskar said during a Star Sports Event at the Indian Institute of Management, Ranchi.
The legendary batter also talked about Dhruv Jurel who was the Player of the Match in Ranchi Test for his ferocious 90-run knock in the first innings against England. Jurel stood up for the team when things were not going their way, as the wicketkeeper batter held one end to reduce the first innings deficit. He also stood tall in the chase alongside Shubman Gill with a 72-run* stand which helped India to seal the series.
Gavaskar hailed the wicketkeeper batter and touted him to be the superstar of Indian cricket.
“He could be promoted up the order. Jurel could be the superstar after this performance in the Test matches. Even Akash Deep could get more exposure in RCB and play the role of the death over specialist which they were missing last season,” he added.
Talking further about the upcoming season of IPL, the 73-year-old was impressed with Mumbai Indians’ big move to bring back Hardik Pandya and his appointment as the skipper. He suggested that it will allow Indian skipper Rohit Sharma to bat freely without much pressure.
“To allow Rohit to play purely as a batter… it has been a busy season for him, first the World Cup, and now this series. This will give him the freedom to play without worrying about other players. My feeling is that it will work very well for Mumbai Indians. For Hardik to have someone like Rohit to turn to would be invaluable. Hardik will enjoy having Rohit as ‘captain’,” he added.
