India's playing XI on Virat Kohli's T20I captaincy debut: Where are they now?
Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli made a big announcement earlier today. The 32-year-old has decided to step down as the skipper of the Indian team in the shortest format of the game after the T20 World Cup 2021. While he did not reveal who will be the next captain, many believe Rohit Sharma will take over the reins of the team.
Virat Kohli made his T20I captaincy debut four years ago in a match against England on January 26, 2017 in Kanpur. Unfortunately, India lost that match by seven wickets.
In this article today, we will take a look at the playing XI Virat Kohli captained that day against England, and where those players are now.
Openers: Virat Kohli (c) and KL Rahul
Virat Kohli opened the innings in his first T20I as the captain. KL Rahul was his opening partner and the duo had a partnership of 34 runs at the top. Kohli scored 29 runs off 26 deliveries, while Rahul aggregated eight runs off nine balls.
Both Kohli and Rahul are part of the Indian T20 squad that will participate in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. The two players are captains of their respective IPL franchises, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings.
Middle-Order: Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni and Manish Pandey
Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni were the only Indian batters to score more than 30 runs in that game. Raina scored 34 off 23, while Dhoni remained unbeaten on 36 from 27. Manish Pandey departed for the pavilion after scoring only three runs.
Raina and Dhoni have now retired from international cricket but are still playing in the IPL. Meanwhile, Pandey recently played for India in the series against Sri Lanka.
All-rounders: Yuvraj Singh, Hardik Pandya and Parvez Rasool
Virat Kohli selected three all-rounders in the playing XI on his T20I captaincy debut. Seasoned pro Yuvraj Singh, new star Hardik Pandya and debutant Parvez Rasool were the three names. None of the all-rounders could make a major impact in the game.
Yuvraj has now retired from all forms of cricket, while Rasool did not play another T20I after that match. Hardik will represent the country at the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Bowlers - Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah and Ashish Nehra
Ashish Nehra and Jasprit Bumrah were the Indian pacers in that game. Unfortunately, both remained wicketless. Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was India's most successful bowler in Virat Kohli's first match as the T20I skipper and returned with figures of 2/27 in four overs.
Nehra retired from all forms of cricket later that year and is now a cricket expert. Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal are actively playing for India, with the former set to play for the country in the T20 World Cup 2021.