The biggest discussion point ahead of the Indian selectors selecting the selections for the visit to South Africa is Rohit Sharma’s future in T20I cricket. From December 10 to January 7, the Men in Blue will play three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests in the African country. The squads for the same will most likely be announced on Thursday, November 30.
Rohit Sharma has not played a T20I for India since the Men in Blue’s 10 wicket loss to England in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final in Adelaide. According to rumors, the opener is no longer interested in playing T20Is.
In Rohit’s absence from the T20I squad, Hardik Pandya captained the side on several occasions. Although no formal announcement on Rohit’s successor as T20I captain was made, the writing appeared to be on the wall. However, things have altered dramatically since the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Though India didn’t win against Australia, Rohit was highly praised. His leadership on field and with bat was impressive. He took the role of leading the team with energy from the beginning. In the World Cup, Pandya had an ankle injury. This occurred in the league match against Bangladesh and he couldn’t play after that.
With the next T20 World Cup just a few months away (June 2024) in the United States and the West Indies, many critics feel Rohit is the appropriate guy to head Team India in the ICC event. According to sources, the BCCI shares similar sentiments and is hoping to persuade the Hitman to return to the T20I fold ahead of the major tournament.
Suryakumar Yadav has led the team well in the upcoming T20I series against Australia. The reality remains, however, that the Australians are not at full strength in the series. Furthermore, five matches are insufficient to draw any conclusions on captaincy abilities.
Concerning the T20I leadership predicament, PTI reported a source as saying:
“Yes, there remains a question what happens when Hardik comes back but in BCCI, they feel that if Rohit agrees to lead in T20Is, he will lead in the T20 World Cup. In case Rohit doesn’t agree then Suryakumar continues as captain for T20Is in South Africa.”
Dravid’s Stay as Indian Coach Might Affect Rohit’s Decision
Rahul Dravid gets to stay on as coach even longer. His time was supposed to end after the 2023 World Cup finished up, but now he has a renewed contract. The BCCI made it clear on Wednesday, November 29, that Dravid and his team are sticking around for a while longer.
According to Cricbuzz, Dravid’s stint as head coach would be evaluated after the 2024 T20 World Cup. Even though India is yet to win the ICC Trophy, Rohit-Dravid have done an excellent job as a captain-coach combination.
Working with a new captain in the T20I format will need the coach to start from zero. Unfortunately for India, there isn’t much time left to explore until the 2024 T20 World Cup.
This might be one of the main reasons why the selectors want Rohit to captain the team in the T20 World Cup.
What about Virat Kohli’s T20I future?
Just as Rohit hasn’t, Virat Kohli hasn’t either played any T20I games for India since the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final versus England.
According to news from the Indian Express, the 35-year-old player requests a break for the T20Is and ODIs in South Africa. However, they will play in the Test matches.
The report quoted a source as saying:
“He (Kohli) has informed the BCCI and selectors that he needs a break from white-ball cricket and he will get back to them about when he wants to play white ball cricket next. At the moment he has informed the BCCI that he will be playing red-ball cricket, which means he is available for selection for the two Test matches in South Africa.”
Just as many cricket experts feel Rohit should participate in the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the US, so too should Kohli. This expert right-handed batsman was the top run-scorer in the 2023 ODI World Cup, racking up a whopping 765 runs in just 11 matches! His average? An impressive 95.62 with a strike rate of 90.32.
The anticipation game is expected to continue since neither Rohit nor Kohli have formally spoken about their T20I future.
Ajinkya Rahane’s Test hopes: Can he still find a place in the squad?
KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are poised to rejoin the Test squad after recovering from injuries. This may signal the end for experienced player Ajinkya Rahane. Rahane made an unexpected comeback for the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. There, he stood out with scores of 89 and 46. Despite this, he had a disappointing performance in the following West Indies tour.
Cheteshwar Pujara’s comeback to the red-ball team is also improbable. Following a succession of bad results, the 35-year-old was pulled from the Test team following the WTC final.
India’s Pace Options: Who Will Get a Break?
In an interview with the media following the ODI World Cup, India’s bowling coach, Paras Mhambrey, agreed that given the rigorous international calendar, workload management of bowlers will be critical.
Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj are currently fit. Will the selectors, however, rest them for any of the formats? Also, what will happen to all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who appears to be losing steam?
When talking about Test match spinners, consider players like Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. They’re strong candidates. The third spinner might be a toss-up between Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.