Ex-chief of selectors explains why Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli didn’t play T20Is after T20 World Cup in 2022

With both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli expressing their willingness to play in the upcoming T20 World Cup, it was no surprise to see both veteran players being named in the Indian squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan which starts from Thursday.

However, this has also led to a lot of chatter about what India’s team compositions will look like going into the T20 World Cup. Both players have not played for the national team in the shortest format of the game since India’s semi-final defeat at the T20 World Cup in November 2022.

Former chief of selectors MSK Prasad, though, backed the duo to feature in the Indian team at the World Cup in June, which will be played in USA and West Indies.

“I do understand that Rohit and Virat were given a bit of rest in South Africa. I think that was needed, after a mega event like the ODI World Cup. They needed that kind of a break. So fortunately, they have had a healthy break and the youngsters have done reasonably well. See, my opinion is there’s absolutely no doubt that Virat and Rohit will be a part of the T20 World Cup, so they should start playing right from this series,” Prasad said while speaking to Star Sports.

Prasad then explained why Kohli and Rohit were not playing T20Is for India since the national team’s T20 World Cup ouster in 2022.

“The question arises, why they didn’t play after the last T20 World Cup. The reason they didn’t play is we were heading towards an ODI World Cup, so we predominantly wanted to focus on ODIs. That’s the reason they offered other youngsters (their spots) who were maybe thinking towards the T20 World Cup. So that’s a wonderful thing from both of them, and even the selectors and team management have got it right. Because if we are heading towards the ODI World Cup, it is better to focus on the ODIs, and we had the WTC also. So they were focusing on Test cricket and ODI cricket. Now that we are heading towards a T20, they should be back to action.”

Prasad, whose four-year stint as chief of selectors ended in December 2019, also spoke on who he thinks could feature in the final squad for the T20 World Cup: “I think players like Virat, Rohit, even for that matter, Shami, Bumrah, Siraj, Jadeja, and Hardik. Other than those names, there are a few places where I feel players like Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson, if KL Rahul is keeping wickets, who is your second keeper? What if Rishabh Pant is fit? What if Ishan Kishan is ready? If we are going to pick him, what order is it? So I don’t think that we need somebody at the top of the order. We needed someone in the middle order, so if Sanju throws his hat into the selection, all these things will definitely come into the picture. For somebody like Yashasvi Jaiswal or even Shubman Gill, form will definitely be a factor, he’s established but still these are few places which will definitely depend on the form they will exhibit in the IPL. So it’s important they keep ringing the bell so the selectors have a good headache.”

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