3 reasons why Virat Kohli not playing Zimbabwe ODIs is a blunder

Quite a few eyebrows were raised when former Indian captain Virat Kohli wasn't named in the ODI squad for the three-match series against Zimbabwe next month.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced Shikhar Dhawan as Team India's captain for the series and handed Rahul Tripathi his maiden ODI call-up.

However, all eyes were on why Kohli wasn't a part of the squad, as there were reports suggesting that he would be sent with the team to Zimbabwe in a bid to return to form.

Virat Kohli has had a torrid time of late across formats as he failed to cross the 20-run mark in any of his innings in England. Even in the ODI series, he scored just 33 runs in two games.

Although he hasn't scored a century in over three years, Kohli has had an odd fifty here and there which has proved that he is not completely out of form. This made his exclusion from the Zimbabwe ODIs even more perplexing.

While it's not clear whether he asked the board for rest or if the board has opted to keep him fresh for the Asia Cup, here are three reasons why Virat Kohli should have played the ODI series against Zimbabwe:

---

#3 Virat Kohli has already taken a lot of rest of late

There has been a lot of criticism of senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli resting for almost every alternate series in the past few months. The biggest question asked is why these players don't rest during the IPL and how they need to rest when they are on national duty.

Speaking of Kohli, the 33-year-old was already rested from the T20I series against Sri Lanka and South Africa at home earlier this year. He missed the first ODI against England due to injury and was then rested for the entirety of the ongoing West Indies tour.

While some rest may work in his favor, too much rest might hamper whatever little form he had.

Many believe it was important for Kohli to get the hang of things during the ODI series in Zimbabwe as it would have helped him in the crucial months leading up to the T20 World Cup.

---

#2 ODIs are Kohli's strongest suit

Virat Kohli is undoubtedly one of the best players to play in all three formats of the game. But it is ODI cricket that has perhaps brought the best out of him over the years.

Even in the period since 2020, where many consider him to be out of form, Kohli has impressive numbers in ODIs. In 20 matches, Kohli has scored 735 runs with nine half-centuries to his name.

So had he been in the XI for the three ODIs against Zimbabwe, the right-handed batter would probably have had enough time to get himself in and score big. This certainly would have helped his confidence going forward.

---

#3 Gametime crucial ahead of Asia Cup and T20 World Cup

India have two crucial tournaments in the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup in the next three months and will all but play their strongest possible squad. This could be one of the main reasons why the board decided to send a relatively second-string side to Zimbabwe for the ODIs.

While it makes sense for players who have been playing competitive cricket continuously for the past few months, that might not necessarily be the case with Virat Kohli.

One can do as many net sessions as one wants, but the pressure of the game situation is completely different and something that can't be exactly simulated.

This gametime could have definitely helped Kohli prevent himself from being rusty for the two big tournaments.