Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are back on the Indian team for the T20I series. They’ll battle Afghanistan in three matches starting this Thursday, the 11th of January. The reaction to their return? A mixed bag. Some supporters think it’s a step in the wrong direction.
Neither Rohit nor Kohli have been seen in a T20I India match since the crushing defeat in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinals against England. During their time away, fresh talents like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Verma, and Rinku Singh caught their big breaks in Rohit and Kohli’s stead.
Indeed, the novice players have shown good results recently. Yet, with Rohit and Kohli’s return, it’s unlikely many will play in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Now, let’s examine three reasons why Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s selection for the Afghanistan T20Is may not be ideal:
1. No T20I cricket for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli since last T20 World Cup
We all know that India was eager to shift gears from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli post their 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal departure. Despite this, both are on the team for the Afghanistan meet up. This may predict their selection for the 2024 T20 World Cup too.
Many feel it’s not right for players like Ruturaj, Tilak, and Rinku. They’ve consistently shone in T20I cricket. With Sharma and Kohli in the lineup, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer were not picked for the future T20I series.
Injuries are keeping Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya off the field right now. But once they’re recovered, they’re in the game. They’ll have spots on the playing XI. This means there might be less room for a few of the younger players in the T20 World Cup.
As for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, their place on the T20I team seems a bit like taking steps backwards. Instead of hanging on to old favorites, maybe India could push forward and discover new talent in T20I cricket. Trying out new players worked for them in Test cricket – just look how they moved on from Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane.
2. Rohit Sharma has struggled in T20 cricket
Rohit Sharma had an impressive 2023 ODI World Cup. He has also been steadily scoring in Test matches. However, T20I cricket hasn’t seen his best regularly.
In 140 T20I innings for India, he got 3853 runs. His average was 31.32 and his strike rate was 139.24. He was part of 29 T20I matches in 2022, but managed just 656 runs. His average was 24.29 and strike rate was 134.42. Notably, it was his least effective performance in nearly ten years.
Rohit Sharma’s IPL performance has been underwhelming for a while. Since 2017, he’s only surpassed a total of 400 runs once. This isn’t great considering his skill level. He’s only hit over 50 runs three times in the last three IPL seasons.
Given that both Suryakumar and Hardik are injured, the only plausible reason Rohit gets selected in this series is because the team is without a captain. But, they will probably return for the 2024 T20 World Cup, which is why India’s temporary captain for the match against Afghanistan would have been appropriate.
3. Virat Kohli’s No. 3 spot hampers India’s T20 flexibility
Primarily, Suryakumar spots the No. three or four position in his successful T20I career. He’s often seen batting at No. four. However, if the openers drive a solid beginning, going in at number three can be a sensible strategy for him.
It’s pretty much a given that when Virat Kohli’s part of the group, he’ll be at the No. three spot. If everyone’s ready to play, this will place Suryakumar in the fourth position, Hardik fifth, either Rinku or Jitesh Sharma sixth, and Ravindra Jadeja seventh.
From his start in India, Rinku has been nothing short of extraordinary. But he can only be chosen ahead of Jitesh if Rohit bats first alongside Ishan Kishan or KL Rahul. Since none of them is in the current team, it suggests that Rohit Sharma’s favorite opening partner is either Shubman Gill or Yashasvi Jaiswal.
In simple terms, it’s a choice between Ishan and Rinku or Jaiswal and Jitesh. With Gill and Rahul not being top picks recently in T20Is. If only Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli hadn’t been selected for the T20I squad against Afghanistan, this could’ve been avoided.
