Team India captain Rohit Sharma and former India skipper Virat Kohli might be India’s best batters by far but they are not getting any younger. Kohli is already 34 while Rohit Sharma will be turning 36 years of age soon and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are already thinking about their future in T20I cricket.
With the next T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in West Indies and the United States in 2024, the BCCI will look to the new chairman of selectors to take this big call. Former India pacer and Delhi Capitals assistant coach Ajit Agarkar is tipped to be the favourite to become the new chief selector.
Once Agarkar officially takes over, he’ll be taking a close look at Kohli and Rohit’s T20I future, according to a report in Insidesport website.
“One of the jobs of the chief selector is to speak to the players on their future plans. Rohit and Virat are not immune to that. Yes, we would have wanted to continue as long as they want. But all great players have a time to consider their plans. Playing three formats and IPL won’t be an easy job,” a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying by InsideSport website.
Team India will play 5 T20I matches next month against the West Indies, the squad for which is yet to be announced by the BCCI. It is expected that all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be leading the side with Rohit Sharma possibly given a break along with Virat Kohli after the Test and ODI series against the Windies.
The report said that the incoming chief selector will discuss future plans with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to prepare blueprint for T20 World Cup 2024. It is likely that after the ODI World Cup 2023 in India, Kohli and Rohit will voluntarily relinquish one format, giving chances to the newcomers.
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As per current plans, India will play 61 T20s in the next FTP cycle. Most of them will be in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup 2024 in October in the US and West Indies.
“Obviously, the focus shifts to T20s after the World Cup. Since 2007, we have not won the T20 WC and it is a priority and a matter of prestige now since IPL has been growing at a rapid pace. It does not look good if we don’t win the T20 WC with the kind of players coming through the IPL. The selection committee will make a blueprint on that soon after the 50-over WC,” the official said in the report.
Kohli has scored 4,008 runs in 115 T20I matches till date at an average of 52.73 with 1 hundred and 37 fifties to his name. While Rohit Sharma has scored 3,853 runs in 148 T20I matches with 4 hundreds and 29 fifites.
