After a hiatus of over a year, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are set to make a comeback in T20I cricket during the series against Afghanistan. While Rohit will lead the Indian team in the three-match series, Kohli is set to miss the opening fixture tonight due to personal reasons.
Kohli and Rohit’s comeback in the shortest format became a big talking point with the T20 World Cup scheduled to be played later this year. With the series against Afghanistan being India’s last T20I assignment before the World Cup, many feel that these three matches will be closely observed by the selectors. Legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar thinks that performance in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will also be crucial in naming the squad.
“I feel the IPL form will be crucial because that will be the current form. The Afghanistan series is in January. The World Cup is in June. So whoever has good form in March, April and May should be given consideration first, that performance should be given consideration,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
“Along with that, I will also say that even if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have an ordinary IPL, but they score runs there, you cannot score runs in every match, but suppose they make good contributions in five out of 14 matches, you will have to take advantage of their experience, and you can probably pick them in the team,” the ex-India batter added.
Both Rohit and Virat had last featured in T20I cricket during Team India’s World Cup semi-final match against England back in 2022. Ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup, their form in the series against Afghanistan will certainly be vital.
The first T20I between India and Afghanistan will be played tonight (11 January) in Mohali. After the completion of the T20I series, India and England will be involved in five Tests. It will be followed by the Indian Premier League.
‘Even if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have an ordinary IPL…’ Sunil Gavaskar on T20 World Cup selectionRead More
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