Can India's youngsters keep seasoned campaigners out of World Cup contention? Even though there hasn't been an official word about the availability of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the shortest format, head coach Rahul Dravid is expected to build Team India's squad around two of its finest batters for the next T20 World Cup. After an impressive show at the One Day International (ODI) World Cup 2023 in India, Kohli and Rohit have been rested for the entire white-ball leg of the South Africa tour.
The batting duo is set for a return in the two-match Test series against South Africa. In the absence of skipper Rohit and ex-captain Kohli, India have auditioned the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, and Ruturaj Gaikwad for its white-ball squad. Despite Rohit leading the Indian side to the semi-finals (T20I) and final (ODI) of the World Cups, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to hand out an announcement on whether Rohit will continue to captain the Men In Blue at next year’s ICC World T20.
‘Virat and Rohit should be…’
According to legendary Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh, Kohli and Rohit should feature in India's squad for the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup. When asked about the uncertain future of the two senior batters, Harbhajan opined that Rohit and Kohli have 'a lot of mettle' to clear the selection hurdle for another ICC event. "I think both Virat (Kohli) and Rohit (Sharma) should be there in the World Cup...I think a good combination would be possible only when you have good senior players too with the youth. Virat and Rohit have a lot of mettle in them...I think they should play," Harbhajan told ANI.
'Give them some time'
{{/usCountry}}According to legendary Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh, Kohli and Rohit should feature in India's squad for the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup. When asked about the uncertain future of the two senior batters, Harbhajan opined that Rohit and Kohli have 'a lot of mettle' to clear the selection hurdle for another ICC event. "I think both Virat (Kohli) and Rohit (Sharma) should be there in the World Cup...I think a good combination would be possible only when you have good senior players too with the youth. Virat and Rohit have a lot of mettle in them...I think they should play," Harbhajan told ANI.
'Give them some time'
{{/usCountry}}India contested the entire T20I series without skipper Rohit, Kohli, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah. Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, India ended its first away series after World Cup level-pegging (1-1) in South Africa. The visitors will next meet the Proteas for a three-match ODI series from Sunday. "This is a young team; I think we should give them some time. We are very result-oriented, and our team is good only if they give results. That is not the case. I think that if we give them time, they will obviously learn. We will have to change ourselves a little as we judge teams on results too quickly. Results take time. This team is in the process. South Africa is not an easy place to play, especially for bowlers," Harbhajan added.