The cloud of uncertainty over the future of Rohit Sharma in India’s T20I team, as a player and captain, could soon vanish away as according to sources, the BCCI selectors may have decided already that they will continue with Rohit Sharma as their T20I skipper until at least next year’s T20 World Cup.
The T20 World Cup 2024 will be played in June, starting just a week after the IPL 2024, in the West Indies and the USA.
Due to rest and ODI being given preference, India’s senior duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli haven’t played a single T20I since last year’s T20 World Cup semi-final exit in Adelaide. Both players, however, were in supreme touch and form during the recent World Cup 2023.
Even though Rohit Sharma is of age 36, his returns in the World Cup 2023, especially his aggressive batting during the powerplay in the tournament, set the stage alight, and would have given Rohit and the selectors more confidence in his playing and captaining India at next year’s T20 World Cup. More so, India can’t have two inexperienced openers in Gill and Jaiswal open in the T20 World Cup.
Rohit is currently rested from the ongoing T20I series against Australia, where both teams are playing their second-string squads due to rest to the main players after a long World Cup.
Rohit will be back to captain India on the South Africa tour. Whether he will participate in the ODI series in South Africa is not certain, but he could be seen leading India in the T20I series in South Africa as there are only a few T20Is scheduled for India in the next four months.
Former India batsman Gautam Gambhir, who was part of the 2007 T20 World Cup winning side, opined that Rohit Sharma led India exceptionally in the World Cup 2023 and should continue leading the T20I side as well.
“I want to see Rohit Sharma as captain in the T20 World Cup. Yes, Hardik has been captaining in T20Is but I would still want to see Rohit as captain in the World Cup. Don’t pick Rohit Sharma only as a batter,” Gambhir told Sportskeeda.
“Rohit is a phenomenal leader, he has proved that with his leadership and batting in this ODI World Cup. If you are picking Rohit, which you should then he should be selected as a captain who can bat,” he added.
