Superstar senior cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been excluded from the squad for the three-match T20I series against New Zealand. Earlier, both were not a part of the T20I series against Sri Lanka as well. Since the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2022, there were strong calls for bringing in young and fresh talent into the T20 setup for Team India, and these moves are being seen from that perspective. Since Kohli was the highest run-getter in the T20 World Cup and Rohit was the skipper then, their sudden change in fortunes has turned heads. However, BCCI hasn't revealed whether Rohit and Kohli have been dropped or rested or if it is the end of the road for them in the shortest format.
While the cricket fraternity is perplexed and unsure about the reason behind Rohit and Kohli not being a part of Team India in shortest format for two consecutive series now, Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma has opined on the matter. He weighed in on the current scenario on India News Sports.
"Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's absence from India's T20 squad is a mystery to me as well. There has been no official confirmation regarding them. I am sure the new selection committee would have spoken to the two senior players," said Rajkumar.
"However, I don't know anything about it. They are very big players. It won't be easy to sideline those two or drop them," he added.
{{/usCountry}}"However, I don't know anything about it. They are very big players. It won't be easy to sideline those two or drop them," he added.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, all-rounder Hardik Pandya delivered as stand-in captain against Sri Lanka in T20Is and led India to clinch the series 2-1. The Men in Blue looked unperturbed by the absence of the two superstars and the youngsters performed well as a team.
New Zealand begin their tour by playing a three-match ODI series starting Wednesday, January 18. It will be immediately followed by a T20I series of equal number of matches.