BCCI secretary Jay Shah has already confirmed Rohit Sharma as the captain of the Indian team for the upcomingT20 World Cup to be held in the USA and West Indies in June. However, star batsman Virat Kohli’s place in the squad is uncertain. Shah himself has stated earlier that the former captain’s role in T20Is will be discussed in due course.
As per reports, the selectors are in a fix about Kohli’s role in T20Is. Both Rohit and Kohli had decided to take a break from T20 format after India’s loss in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022. Following the development, star all-rounder Hardik Pandya was given the charge of the T20I side. However, after Hardik was ruled out of the ODI World Cup with an ankle injury, there was a change in strategy.
Both Rohit and Kohli returned to the Indian team for the T20Is after about 15 months during the home series against Afghanistan. While Rohit led India’s charge with his aggressive approach as an opener throughout the ODI World Cup, Kohli stuck to his tried and tested method. In the process, Rohit showed clear signs of being an ideal opener even in T20Is. However, there was a question mark about Kohli’s position in the XI.
Kohli’s role as an anchor of the batting unit in ODIs is of little importance in T20s. Moreover, with talented youngsters pushing for their case and the shortest format of the game changing course rapidly, the selectors were a bit skeptical about Kohli’s role in the side.
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As per reports in some section of the media, the selectors feel that Kohli hasn’t been able to cope with the team’s needs in the shortest format. He will only be considered if he has a ‘superlative IPL’ for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).