Comforting millions of eager eyes, Virat Kohli made his long-anticipated return to T20 internationals in India’s second T20 against Afghanistan in Indore on Sunday. Kohli made his first T20I appearance after India’s crushing 10-wicket defeat to England in the 2022 T20 World Cup.

India’s highest T20 run scorer missed the first T20 of India’s three-match T20 series against Afghanistan for a personal reason. However, Kohli found his place straight in the playing eleven along with Yashasvi Jaiswal, another absentee from the Mohali match, in place of Shubhman Gill and Tilak Varma.

Gill and Varma both had a subtle stint with the bat in the opening T20 against Afghanistan on Thursday, scoring 23 of 12 and 26 of 22 balls respectively. Gill, however, was involved in a clumsy moment in the match that led to skipper Rohit Sharma getting run-out for a duck.

However, former Indian cricketer turned pundit Saba Karim thinks that it was not the moderate runs scored by the batters that cost them a place in the squad for the second T20, but just the immense squad depth that the Indian Cricket Team currently boast.

“I know Tilak Varma has done very well, having said that he will be slightly disappointed that he has not yet sealed his place (in the squad)” Saba Karim said after Tilak omission, while speaking to Jio Cinema.

India won the 2nd T20I by 6 wickets after gunning down 173 in just 15.4 overs. Yashasvi Jaiswal hit a quickfire 68 while Shivam Dube was unbeaten on 63 as India cruised past the finish line.

Virat Kohli, in his first knock in T20Is in 14 months, came up with an aggressive approach, hitting 29 in just 16 balls.

Karim thinks that the Indian Cricket Team has so many talented players in their list of options to choose from, which makes it difficult for young players to seal their place in the squad for good. The likes of young players like Tilak Varma fall behind big names like Virat Kohli when it comes to experience, making the latter, the more obvious pick if it comes to team selection.

“None of the players who are sitting out are out because of bad performance… It’s just that India has so many quality players and if a player like Virat Kohli is making a comeback, he is going to be in the starting eleven for sure,” Saba Karim added.

It seems Yashasvi Jaiswal, with his blinder in Indore, is head of the pecking order in terms of competition for the opening slot. Shivam Dube, with his two unbeaten 60s, has also got put himself in the mix.