Sports broadcaster Star Sports released its Test team of the year on Tuesday during the Lunch break of the Boxing Day Test between South Africa and India but their announcement was met with backlash by cricket fans.
The playing XI had some of the biggest names in world cricket who had a stupendous 2023 with the bat and ball in Tests but one major player was not included in the list.
Former India captain Virat Kohli's name was missing from the middle-order which left his and Indian cricket fans in shock.
The team that was announced had three Indians in Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. Rohit in fact, was named captain of the team.
But Kohli, despite averaging nearly 55 this year in Tests, missed out. The 35-year-old has so far amassed 595 runs in 11 innings at an average of 54.09 that includes 2 hundreds and a fifty.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan was also shocked at Kohli's exclusion from the team despite his brilliant numbers in Tests this year.
"Kohli has 55 Test average in 2023 & it's shocking that he is missing in the test team of the year," Pathan said on Star Sports.
SA fight back after IND clinch 1st session
Kohli was in the middle of a crucial knock in the ongoing first Test at Centurion after India lost three quick wickets in the first session on Day 1 after being put into bat.
The former India skipper added 68 runs for the fourth wicket with Shreyas Iyer to bail his team out of troubled waters but couldn't go on to score big and got out for 38 to Kagiso Rabada right after the lunch break.
Iyer was dismissed before Kohli on 31 by Rabada, who struck twice in the second session after taking the wicket of Rohit Sharma (5) in the first half-hour of play.
India had reached 91 for 3 at the first break but were reduced to 107 for 5 after the twin strikes by Rabada in the first half-hour of the second session.
