Saba Karim suggests that due to concerns over Hardik Pandya’s health, the selectors may have chosen Rohit Sharma to lead India in the future T20I series against Afghanistan, possibly even in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
India’s team, “The Men in Blue,” are set to play three T20Is against Afghanistan. The initial match takes place in Mohali on Thursday, January 11. The selection panel chose a team of 16 for these games on Sunday. Rohit is their leader and Virat Kohli has returned.
Talking to Sports 18, Karim faced a question. Would Rohit and Kohli’s recall suggest they’ll join the T20 World Cup squad? He confirmed this theory and explained:
“There is no doubt now. Now that you have included both these players against Afghanistan, it means there has been a massive change in the selectors’ thinking. They feel they need experience for the World Cup. That’s why Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have made a comeback.”
Saba Karim
The former India wicketkeeper-batter added:
“There is another thing. Until now, the selectors had shown faith in Hardik Pandya as a captain but questions are being raised because of Hardik Pandya’s injury. That’s why the selectors have gone back to Rohit Sharma to bring stability, both as a captain and a batter.”
Saba Karim
In 2023, during India’s World Cup game against Bangladesh, Pandya hurt his ankle. Since then, he hasn’t participated in any games. It’s uncertain when he’ll completely recover.
Saba Karim lauds Rohit’s ODI aggression as the main factor for his T20I revival
According to Saba Karim, Rohit Sharma’s destructive style at the top of the order in ODIs may have also benefited him. He declared:
“Along with that, the aggression Rohit Sharma has shown in ODI cricket and he has been speaking about it always. That is another big reason.”
Saba Karim
The former player, now commentator, concluded that if Rohit was chosen, it was natural for Virat Kohli to be included in the team too. His reasoning:
“Once you have picked Rohit, you cannot leave Virat out of the team. Then it’s extremely necessary that along with Rohit, you include Virat also in the team for even greater stability and match-winning knocks.”
Saba Karim
In both the 2022 T20 and 2023 ODI World Cups, Kohli held the title of top scorer. Despite a dry spell during the prior T20 Cup, Rohit shined in the latest ODI Cup. He’s hopeful to carry this aggressive style into future short format games too.