'Will create lots of problems': Ex-Pakistan star drops humongous 'Rohit, Kohli' bombshell over India's T20I squad vs WI

The former Pakistan star didn't mince his words as he talked about the two Indian players after the release of T20I squad against West Indies.

The BCCI announced Team India's squad for T20Is against West Indies on Wednesday, with Hardik Pandya continuing to lead the side in the format. In BCCI's first senior men's team selection since the appointment of chief selector Ajit Agarkar, both – Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – continue to remain absent from the format, while youngsters like Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal received call-ups.

India captain Rohit Sharma (L) and Virat Kohli during a practice session ahead of WTC final against Australia (ICC Twitter)

Kohli and Rohit have not been part of Team India since the T20 World Cup last year and many now believe that the board has moved on from the duo, as preparations continue for the next year's edition. Interestingly, there has been no official announcement from either the board or the two players over their T20I future, giving rise to speculations. It is worth noting that Virat Kohli produced an impressive performance in this year's Indian Premier League, ending as the season's fourth-highest run-scorer (639 runs in 14 matches @ 139.82).

Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal, on his official YouTube channel, urged the BCCI to not remove Rohit and Kohli from the T20I side. Akmal stated that both need to be in the side during ICC events irrespective of the format.

“When there's an ICC event, I believe these two players have much cricket left. When these two are there, the other team is under-pressure. Without these two, no matter which ICC event it is, you can't make a team. These are all-time greats. Virat Kohli is next-level in international cricket. He's inspiring a generation with his passion and performances. You need to cash it as much as you can,” Akmal said.

“To sideline them straightaway... I think it is going to create a lot of problems. Rohit Sharma has scored hundreds in T20Is, he's a big game player, has the ability to single-handedly win matches. You can easily play these two in T20s. You don't need to make them captain. But when you play in ICC event, you cannot make teams without them. I still hope I can see these two players in 2024 World Cup.”

Hardik Pandya has led India in all T20Is since the start of the year, winning bilateral series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in January. He also led Gujarat Titans to a second-successive final in IPL, but failed to lift the cup this time as the side lost to Chennai Super Kings in a closely-contested title clash in Ahmedabad.