Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes that India will require the expertise of experienced duo Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma on and off the field during the T20 World Cup 2024 due to the number of unexpected surfaces in the USA and the West Indies.
The availability of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma would be a major consideration for the team going into the 2024 T20 World Cup. The Seasoned stars haven’t played a Twenty20 International since India lost in the World Cup 2022 semi-final and it is reported that both the players are excited to take in the tournament in June.
Speaking on Star Sports, Irfan Pathan said that he would like to see Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli return to the T20 cricket, given his performance in the T20 World Cup 2022 and IPL 2023, and that the unfamiliar surfaces in the United States and the Caribbean would necessitate the inclusion of experienced campaigners.
“Personally, I would like to see Virat on the pitch because when we talk about two years back, definitely he was not in his best form. But the last IPL and T20 were one of the most amazing tournaments for him.
“Also, when you are playing in countries like West Indies and the USA, there are quite a few unknown pitches, and here you will need experienced players like Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both on and off the field,” Irfan Pathan said.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli last appeared in a T20I for India in the 2022 T20 World Cup, when India lost to England in the semifinal stage at the Adelaide Oval. Virat Kohli completed the ODI World Cup 2023 with the highest tournament score. Rohit Sharma played a selfless brand of cricket for the team in the marquee event as they fell short of the well-deserved against Australia.
I Would Love Seeing Both Of Them On The Field – Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan feels that the Indian team management would make the decision on both stars based on their fitness and expressed his desire to see both players perform well in the T20 World Cup, especially with Rohit regaining his form in white-ball cricket.
“The playing of both the players also depends upon team management and their fitness, but I would love seeing both of them on the field, especially when Rohit has also changed his form and has been making a lot of runs in One Day Cricket,” Irfan Pathan added
Rohit Sharma’s performance in the IPL has been disappointing in recent years, and he hasn’t played a T20I in over a year. However, he turned things around as the Indian captain scored 597 runs at an average of 54.27 and a strike rate of 125.95 and could be keen to translate the form into the T20 format of the game.