Virat Kohli will not play the first T20I against Ireland

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squads for the limited-overs leg of the UK tour on Wednesday. They named Virat Kohli as the captain even for the two-match T20I series against Ireland which raised a few eyebrows. He is bound to feature for Surrey in the month of June and it had emerged that he will miss both the matches against Ireland. However, it is confirmed now that the Indian skipper will miss only the first T20 International and will be available for the second and the final game.

Kohli is currently leading Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and is set to fly to England in the last week of May. He will play a total of 6 matches during his one-month stint for Surrey which includes three domestic One-Day Cup encounters as well. He will also face his teammate Cheteshwar Pujara in the game against Yorkshire which will coincide with the Ireland series.

Surrey confirms the news

The two matches in the shortest format between India and Ireland are set to be played on June 27 and 29. But during the first match, Kohli will be playing in his final County game against Yorkshire and it will be impossible for him to feature in the blue jersey. “He’ll be playing for us in the Yorkshire game and will then be available for the second T20 in Ireland,” Surrey’s media wing confirmed to India Today on Wednesday in a response to an Email.

While there is no official word from BCCI on the matter yet, it is most likely that Rohit Sharma will take over the mantle of the team for the first T20I. Team India’s England tour will commence on July 3 with the three-match series in the shortest format.

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