Deep Dasgupta, an ex-wicketkeeper, was surprised. Why? Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli rejoin India’s T20 team. They’ll play against Afghanistan.
Rohit and Kohli’s last T20I match was India’s 2022 World Cup semi-final, where they lost. It was a 10-wicket defeat against England. They’re back, ready to play again, but should they? Should they be part of India’s plans for the T20 World Cup? This sparked debates.
That being said, Rohit and Kohli’s selection for the Afghanistan series ensures they will be present in the June showcase match.
Deep Dasgupta said, “India went back to square one, making no sense of all the moves made over the past year,” in an interview with Star Sports.
“I was slightly surprised because I thought the team had moved on from Rohit and Kohli. The main criticism was the lack of intent from the senior players in the last T20 World Cup. But then again, you need to keep in mind the kind of tracks you are expecting in the West Indies – are you expecting a 180 or 200-run wicket to 160-ish kind of tracks? To be very honest, I do not find any direction here for India in the last one year. If they had to go back to Kohli and Rohit…given the squads we had in the last one year, it is like going back to square one.”
Deep Dasgupta
Deep Dasgupta went on to say that the Indian playing XI will now look like the team that lost badly to England in the last T20 World Cup.
“If you look at the team India had against England (in 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal) and the one against Australia recently, Hardik, Jadeja and Bumrah and Siraj will be back, but the middle-order will remain the same. Kohli will play at No. 3, Surya at 4, Hardik at 5, Jitesh or Samson at 6, then Jadeja and the rest follow. So there won’t be any difference in that middle-order finisher role.”
Deep Dasgupta
Rohit, having come back to the team, was proclaimed the skipper for the trio of games against Afghanistan commencing on Thursday.
Team India’s performance in T20 World Cups has seemed challenging since their 2007 victory. They’ve reached the final just one time in the past seven events.
“Someone like Rinku Singh will miss out” – Deep Dasgupta
According to Deep Dasgupta, someone like Rinku Singh could have to miss out on making the playing XI for the T20 World Cup due to the comeback of Rohit and Kohli.
Rinku’s international career launch is impressive, with a 65.50 average and a 180.68 strike rate over 12 T20Is. Yet, the probable comeback of Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya in the IPL could give India a wealth of middle-order options.
“Someone like Rinku Singh will miss out. You have to pick one between Jitesh and Samson. I am talking about the T20 World Cup going forward. Rinku and Yashasvi had both impressed a lot, especially the former, because he plays a very specific and unique role and there aren’t much competitors for that spot as well.”
“You will get plenty of top-order batters, but there are rarely batters who can perform at No. 7 or 8. Rinku and Tilak might play against Afghanistan, but going forward, when Hardik and Surya will be available, I feel Rinku and Tilak will both miss out.”
Deep Dasgupta
Since making his debut against Ireland in August of last year, Rinku Singh has performed flawlessly in the role of the finisher.
India’s final Twenty20 International match before the West Indies and United States of America World Cup is the Afghanistan series.