Why Virat Kohli is not playing the third T20I

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With India looking to seal the T20I series with a win in the third and final game at Newlands, it came as a shock to many when Rohit Sharma walked out onto the field for the toss instead of regular skipper Virat Kohli, who has been far and away India's best player on the tour.

However, after South Africa skipper JP Duminy won the toss and elected to field, Rohit revealed that Kohli is suffering from a stiff back, which has forced him to sit out of the decider.

"Virat has a stiff back and he needs some rest. A few changes - Dinesh, Axar and Bumrah come in. In the last two games we played, we had decent runs on the board and we know exactly where we went wrong. Looks like there is a fair bit of grass today, dry though. There'll be a bit of carry and that's the reason we are playing four seamers. Good to have the last game as a decider for the spectators. They've come out in large numbers and supported us all through," stand-in skipper Rohit said at the toss.

While the news does not bode well for India, Kohli was in need of some rest and this will allow him to rejuvenate ahead of the stern tests to come. The skipper is also likely to be rested for upcoming Nidahas Trophy, which will be contested between India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in March.

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