Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli Unlikely To Be Selected For T20Is; Hardik Pandya To Be Long-term Captain: Sources

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, two of India’s most renowned cricketers, are unlikely to be chosen for T20Is in the future, sources have told NDTV. The senior pair have supported Indian sport for more than ten years, but the BCCI, the nation’s cricket association, intends to introduce young players to the T20 International format in anticipation of the 2024 T20 World Cup in the United States and the West Indies. According to further sources, Hardik Pandya will be an important part of India’s T20I plans and is probably going to be named the permanent captain of the shortest format.

According to sources, the newly formed BCCI selection committee, headed by Chetan Sharma, will likely consult with Virat and Rohit over their T20I future. The star combo has made themselves available for selection in T20 Internationals, they noted. According to sources, “BCCI wants a young team under Hardik Pandya for T20Is.”

There was ample reason to believe that Rohit’s reign as the T20I captain may be coming to an end when Hardik Pandya was named captain of the Indian T20I team for the just-completed three-match series against Sri Lanka. Virat, a former India captain, and Rohit were both included to the ODI team but not the T20I squad against Sri Lanka.

In ODI matches in June 2007, Rohit made his debut on the global stage. That September, he played his debut Twenty20 match. Virat, on the other hand, participated in his maiden T20I in June 2010 after making his senior international debut in an ODI against Sri Lanka in August 2008. Both have captained India in T20 World Cups, but neither has been able to take home the coveted trophy.

Virat tops the list of T20I run scorers with a total of 4008 runs in 115 matches at an average of 52.73. With 3853 runs in 148 matches at an average of 31.32, Rohit is second on that list.

On Monday, on the eve first ODI against Sri Lanka in Guwahati, Rohit, however, said that he is not giving up on the shortest format. “We have only six T20Is, three are over. So we’ll manage, you know to look after those boys till IPL. Then we’ll see what happens after the IPL. But certainly, I’ve not decided to give up the format,” Rohit said.

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