NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli‘s return to T20Is after a hiatus of 14 months became a huge talking point in the cricket fraternity with experts welcoming Indian selectors’ move especially in light of the upcoming T20 World Cup in June.
The selectors recently picked the veteran duo of Rohit Sharma and Kohli for the ongoing T20I series against Afghanistan, indicating that they’re still in the scheme of things for the shortest format.
Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim drew parallels between Kohli’s return to T20Is and Cristiano Ronaldo‘s comeback to Manchester United ahead of the second T20I against Afghanistan.
Kohli last played in the shortest format in the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final. He missed the first match due to personal reasons but was selected for the game in Indore on Sunday.

Speaking to JioCinema, the ex-India selector likened it to the return of the prodigal son, asserting that Kohli’s eagerness to get back on the field was palpable during the warmups.
“This is akin to Cristiano Ronaldo coming back to Man United. The prodigal son returns, isn’t it? That’s something like, what Virat has done now 14 months. That’s a long time.”
“But I think whatever one could see in the pre-game warm ups, I think Virat is pretty keen to step onto the field and again do what he has done so well in the past,” said Karim.