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Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid called Shreyas Iyer 'to the pool' to reveal his T20 World Cup 2022 snub: 'Had to explain'
Rohit Sharma opens up on leaving Shreyas Iyer out for the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Here's what he said.
The T20 World Cup 2026 is around the corner. The 20-team competition will be played in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8 across eight venues. For the event, the ICC have already named T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma as the brand ambassador. And days before the start of the tournament, the Hitman recalled having to make some difficult calls while choosing players for the ICC events, and it was then that he spoke about leaving Shreyas Iyer out of the 2022 World Cup, which was played in Australia.
In the 2022 World Cup, India were knocked out in the semi-finals after England gave Rohit's side a ten-wicket thrashing at the Adelaide Oval. This game was where it all changed, as the 38-year-old made it his mission to change the way his team played cricket. After the 2022 debacle, India reached the final of the 2023 World Cup and won the T20 World Cup 2024 and the Champions Trophy 2025.
For the 2022 tournament, India's management, comprising head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit, decided to have Deepak Hooda ahead of Shreyas in the team as the former could roll his arm over when the opportunity presented itself. However, in a conversation with JioHotstar, Rohit revealed that he, along with Dravid, told Shreyas about his omission months in advance in the West Indies.
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“There have been many such instances of taking hard calls before World Cups. I think of Shreyas Iyer during the 2022 T20 World Cup. I still remember that we were playing in the West Indies. Rahul bhai and I always felt that if you are taking such calls, it is important for the individual to know why you are doing it," Rohit said.
"I remember we called Shreyas near the pool, and Rahul bhai and I both spoke to him about why he was not going to be part of that Asia Cup, followed by the T20 World Cup that was going to take place. We had to explain the reasoning to him,” he added.
Why was Hooda preferred?
Revealing the reason behind picking Hooda, Rohit said that the entire management wanted players who were multi-faceted, and hence the decision was taken to pick the all-rounder instead of Iyer.
“I remember we took Deepak Hooda then, and that was the only spot we had available. We felt we needed someone who could give us a little more with the ball, because in our top five or six, there were not many players who could bowl. So we wanted players with those multi-skills, and that is why we had to go with Hooda. He was in good form before that Asia Cup and World Cup, and based on the form he showed in the IPL and the way he was batting, I felt he could fit into our plans," said Rohit.
"Shreyas would have felt bad, Deepak would have been happy, but that is how it works. If someone else takes Deepak’s place in the future, then he would feel bad as well. As long as you have a valid reason and you explain it properly, that is fine,” he added.
The former India captain also spoke about the importance of having clear communication with players, as it helps everyone get the desired clarity. It is worth noting that Rohit retired from T20Is after the 2024 World Cup win.
“For us, it is important to understand how we can make the best use of the 15 players in our squad. We had to leave someone out in the 2023 World Cup, we had to keep someone out in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and we had to do the same in the Champions Trophy as well. Siraj was not part of the 2025 Champions Trophy, so I had a conversation with him and explained the situation to him,” said Rohit.
"I also spoke to Yuzvendra Chahal when he was not part of the 2023 World Cup. There were several players like this, and we spoke to all of them. I feel it is always good to have a conversation. You will not be able to please everyone, but you try your best to help everyone understand the reasoning behind the decisions,” he added.
