Indian captain Rohit Sharma and former Indian skipper Virat Kohli are likely to have complete freedom to decide their future in T20 internationals, ahead of the forthcoming T20 World Cup which is slated to take place in the United States and the West Indies in June 2024.
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. In the marquee clash against England, Rohit Sharma struck 27 runs off 28 balls, and Virat Kohli hit a half-century in 40 balls.
According to a report published yesterday, Rohit Sharma is unlikely to play T20Is again, and Hardik Pandya will be named long-term captain in the near future. According to the BCCI source, these two cricketing behemoths cannot be destroyed so quickly.
Virat Kohli completed the ODI World Cup 2023 as the highest tournament score, and their careers should be determined only by themselves.
”Rohit and Virat can play T20s and the T20 World Cup next year if they want. We can’t remove the highest run-scorer of the ODI World Cup. They are both our biggest players,” the source said.
It is reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will meet with captain Rohit Sharma and top selector Ajit Agarkar to reassess and create a plan for the Indian team across all the formats going forward for the next four years following India’s devastating World Cup final loss against Australia on Sunday.
It is said that Rohit Sharma would be focusing his energy completely on the longer format of the game for the next World Test Championship cycle, with Hardik Pandya emerging as a key candidate to lead the team in the white-ball format.
”If Rohit decides to leave T20Is, then only Hardik Pandya will captain the side, otherwise he will be his deputy”, The Source added
Hardik Pandya is the likely candidate to replace Rohit Sharma as the Indian skipper in white-ball cricket. The Indian all-rounder has shown the potential to lead India in the limited opportunities for Men in Blue.
The experienced Indian all-rounder has been backed by several experts and fans to become India’s full-time limited-overs captain once Rohit Sharma’s reign comes to an end in white-ball cricket.