‘Virat Kohli may play, but Rohit Sharma…’ – Former India opener’s bold claim on the backbone of Indian Cricket

In the third and final T20I against New Zealand, India triumphed with an emphatic 168-run win, recording their largest victory margin in terms of runs. Thus, under Hardik Pandya, the young team has had a successful start to 2023. Rohit Sharma missed both of India’s T20I series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. As rumours over the star duo’s T20I future spread, Virat Kohli also skipped both series along with Rohit.

In fact, both played their last matches for their respective countries in the 20-20 World Cup last year, where India lost to England in the semi-finals. Since that time, Pandya has been the team’s skipper, with the top-order positions now being filled by Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, and Rahul Tripathi. KL Rahul also missed this year’s two T20I series.

It’s important that they are mentally fresh for the Australia series: Wasim Jaffer

Wasim Jaffer, a former India opener, made an intriguing comment about the likelihood of Rohit and Kohli returning to the T20I format amid worries over the future of the duo. Jaffer feels that while Rohit Sharma’s chances of returning to the 20-20 World Cup in 2024 may have passed, Kohli still has the potential to compete in the tournament.

“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were rested seeing the bigger picture, with the Tests against Australia coming up. India can qualify for the WTC final. And rightly so. (However) Looking at the future, this game is for youngsters. I actually don’t see Rohit Sharma playing in the next 20-20 World Cup,” Jaffer asserted during an interaction with Basit Ali’s official YouTube channel.

“Virat Kohli may play, but Rohit Sharma definitely won’t play the next edition. He’s already 35. So, looking at the bigger picture, it’s important that they are mentally fresh for the Australia series,” the former Indian opener stated.

The pair is crucial for India’s chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship final, which will be held in June this year. Earlier this week, the Australian squad travelled to India for the four-match series that gets underway on February 9.