When India’s campaign at the 2022 T20 World Cup came to an end, it was thought that the team will be heading into a different direction with two of their batting stalwarts – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – among the senior players to be phased out.
In India’s first T20I assignment since the T20 World in Australia, Hardik Pandya was named skipper of a youngish team that toured New Zealand. And judging by how as many as 11 players made their debuts in the format after India’s semi-final exit from the T20I showpiece, it appeared that the planning for the next world cup has been set in motion.
Also Read: Why Rohit And Kohli Have Been Recalled in India’s T20I Squad?
However, five months before the 2024 World Cup, the selectors have recalled both Rohit and Kohli back in the setup despite neither playing a single T20I in 14 months.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta is a little surprised at the development but reckons the thinking behind bringing back the two experienced batters could be based on the fact that pitches for the world cup may not be as batting friendly as they are otherwise in T20Is.
“I thought in T20 format, the team had moved on from Rohit and Kohli, so a little surprised here,” Dasgupta said on Star Sports. “Having said that the way Rohit played in the 50-over world cup, the main criticism was the lack of intent from the senior players in the last few T20 World Cups. We will have to keep that in mind the pitches to be expected in the West Indies. Are we expecting a 180 or 200-run wicket or 160-ish kind of games? So a little surprised since I, like a lot of people, thought we are looking beyond these two great players.”
Dasgupta also feels that despite all the different combinations that were experimented with since the last T20 World Cup, the latest decision has brought the team back to square one.
“To be very honest, I don’t see much direction for India (in T20s) in the past one year. If they had to return to Kohli and Rohit, I don’t know what we have gained in the past year since we have gone back to square one. They will be playing for the first time since the world cup. You can’t do much about it. There won’t be many changes in this team now. The middle-order will remain the same. I don’t think you will see any change,” Dasgupta said.
“Keep one thing in mind, pitches in West Indies aren’t batting friendly. In 160-170 kind of games, this looks a better option considering that. You have the experience and ability (in Kohli and Rohit),” he added.
However, Dasgupta fears that once Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar become available, the likes of Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh may find it difficult to get a spot in the world cup squad whenever it’s named.
“Against Afghanistan you may see Rinku and Tilak both (in the eleven) but once Hardik, Jadeja and Surya will become available then don’t think either of the two (Rinku and Tilak) will find a place. You have to play a wicketkeeper, be it Jitesh (Sharma) or Sanju (Samson),” he said.
“You can’t decide the future of someone like Rohit or Virat based on IPL. It’s given Virat will score 500 runs, even in his bad season. It will be interesting to see Rohit since he won’t be leading Mumbai Indians. I think the 95 per cent of India squad is confirmed. And in this format the role of captain is quite prominent as compared to the other two. So, I feel Rohit may end up leading India in the world cup too,” he added.
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