Is Virat Kohli being made the scapegoat in transition phase of Indian cricket?

IND vs WI: Virat Kohli is not only a name that is confined to the game of cricket, but is also one of the greatest stars of the country who is looked upon by millions of youngsters all around the world. The Indian team is certainly going through a phase of transition and the new selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar has made it pretty clear that they are looking ahead of Rohit and Virat as far as the shortest format of the game is concerned. Last year after the Indian team crashed out of the T20 World Cup, reports started to emerge that the BCCI was ready to look ahead of the duo of Rohit and Virat in the shortest format of the game. Is Virat Kohli paying the price for his age, or is the snub purely based on performance? let's try and understand.

3 things you need to know

• Virat Kohli has been rested for India's upcoming T20I matches against West Indies
• This is the fourth consecutive series that Virat Kohli has been left out of India's T20I squad
• Virat Kohli averages 52.74 in T20Is 

Virat Kohli's performance in the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup

'Kohli goes down the ground, Kohli goes out of the ground' gasped Harsha Bhogle on air when Virat Kohli left Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf stunned with two gigantic sixes at the iconic MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground). As iconic as the commentary is, Virat Kohli's superhuman effort to bail India out is one for the ages. This was just the start of Virat's domination in the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup. At this point, after his snub from the T20I team, it is worth mentioning that the former India skipper ended the tournament as the highest run scorer. Virat Kohli scored 296 runs from 6 matches with a strike rate of 136.41 and an average of 98.67. He did shoulder the Indian batting which collapsed time and again on the marquee stage. The Indian team management is currently working towards building a team for the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup, but if we go by the stats, India still does not have a better number 3 and that is a fact that can't be ignored.

READ MORE: Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli Returning To India's T20 Team Would Be 'nothing Short Of A Miracle'

Virat Kohli in IPL 2023

After the inception of IPL 2023, it has been an important yardstick while evaluating a player's chance of getting into the Indian team. As contrary as it may sound, many times Test players are also picked based on their IPL performances and the same happened with Ajinkya Rahane this year before the WTC 2023 Final. Yashasvi Jaiswal too was picked for the Indian Test side basis on his IPL 2023 performance. Now let's just understand the most important point, why was Virat Kohli snubbed from the Indian team when he scored more runs than Yashasvi Jaiswal? Kohli, in 14 IPL games scored a staggering 639 runs at an average of 53.25 and with a decent strike rate of 139.82.

READ MORE: Indian Run-machine Was A Threat To Virat Kohli In 2011 WC

India's probable number 3 for T20 World Cup 2024

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The BCCI has already started to build a youn Indian team for the next edition of the T20 World and has consciously preferred youth over experience. Interestingly, they have a core team in place but they still haven't been able to finalize their number 3 slot, the most crucial position in the white ball format. The Hardik Pandya-led Indian team tried Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman Rahul Tripathi as their number 3 during the IND vs SL and IND vs NZ T20I matches that were played earlier this year but he did not seem ready and failed miserably while taking up the role. India also tried promoting Suryakumar Yadav for one match, but that decision too backfired for them. Considering all the scenarios and what the Indian team is looking forward to, it still seems that Virat Kohli is the best option going forward and it is a no-brainer that why he should be a crucial cog in the wheel for India's T20I setup. Is there really any problem with Virat Kohli's performance in T20Is or is he just being made a scapegoat in the name of 'transition', it is for you to decide.