Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma unlikely to play T20Is again: Reports

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s days in the Indian T20I jersey might be numbered, after a report in the Indian Express seemed to suggest that the BCCI and team management, in the coming days, were likely to discuss with the duo regarding their future in the shortest format. The report said that while both Virat and Rohit have made themselves available for selection in T20Is, the BCCI have asked them to reconsider their decision. Chetan Sharma-led BCCI selection committee, which was appointed on 7 January, will in all likelihood hold talks with Rohit and Kohli in the coming days. 2023 is a crucial year with the ODI World Cup in India, and should India qualify, there will also the World Test Championship final in the summer. Notably, the duo were not part of the Hardik Pandya-led India side that played Sri Lanka at home in three T20Is recently, and according to another report in NDTV, the BCCI have set their sights on including youngsters in the T20I setup, in the leadup towards the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies. NDTV also reported that the BCCI were looking at Hardik Pandya as a long-term skipper in T20Is. “BCCI wants a young team under Hardik Pandya for T20Is,” a source was quoted as saying by NDTV. Rohit, who is leading India in the ongoing ODIs against Sri Lanka, still suggested that he had not given up on playing T20Is for the Men in Blue. Rohit also said that the new-look team for Sri Lanka T20Is was selected in order to manage workload of some senior players. “At the moment, it has been made clear that this is a 50-over World Cup year. For some of the guys, it is not possible to play all formats. If you look at the schedule, the matches are back to back. So we decided on looking at some players’ workload and making sure we give enough break time and manage them. I definitely fall within that. We have only six T20s this year. But certainly, I have not decided to give up the format,” Rohit had said ahead of the first ODI in Guwahati. Both Kohli and Rohit last featured in T20Is for India, when the Men in Blue played England the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final in Adelaide, which India lost. Rohit had made his T20I debut during the inaugural T20 World Cup (Then World T20) in September 2007 in South Africa, while Kohli made his debut in the shortest format for India in June 2010. Both Rohit and Kohli have led India in T20 World Cups previously, but have returned empty-handed without a winners’ trophy. Virat (4008 runs) and Rohit (3853) remain first and second in the all-time T20I run-scorers’ list.