Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra took a dig at the BCCI selectors as he opened up about the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to the T20I squad for the upcoming series against Afghanistan. He pointed out that the selectors hesitated to drop one in favor of the other.
The BCCI unveiled the T20I squad for the upcoming home series, featuring the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after a 14-month hiatus. This marks their first T20I appearance since the 2022 World Cup semi-final loss.
For the unversed, the senior duo opted out of T20I matches to concentrate on preparing for the 2023 World Cup. Hardik Pandya led the team in their absence. With the selectors showing confidence in Rohit’s leadership, he has been named captain for the upcoming series.
Aakash Chopra Made A Big Statement On Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli’s Return To T20I
Chopra shared his perspective on the comeback of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to the T20I squad, highlighting that the selectors would have to make a clear decision to either include or exclude both players. He said:
“If the selectors had thought of dropping either, I don’t think any selector has (the guts) to drop one and pick the other. Not going to happen,”
He added: “Either both would have been picked or dropped. Rohit-Kohli would have been either selected or dropped. No one has the guts to pick one and drop another, which is not possible for anyone to do,“
Meanwhile, the Indian cricket team is set to engage in a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan at home, commencing in Mohali on Thursday, January 11, followed by matches in Indore on January 14 and Bengaluru on January 17.
VIRAT KOHLI IS BACK IN T20I….!!!
– King is back for some unfinished business in T20I World Cup. 🐐 pic.twitter.com/M9tMrWZ7IP
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 7, 2024
This T20I series holds significance as it serves as India’s final preparation leading up to the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. Player performances during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 will be closely monitored by the selectors during this period.
India T20I squad for Afghanistan series: Rohit Sharma (C), S Gill, Y Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, W Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar.
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