Should Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma be in India’s T20I cricket team? Sunil Gavaskar says this

India's upcoming T20I cricket series against Afghanistan has sparked interest as fans anticipate the return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to the national team for the T20 World Cup.

Sounak Mukhopadhyay
Published6 Jan 2024, 10:45 AM IST
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Cape Town: Indian captain Rohit Sharma with teammate Virat Kohli during presentation ceremony at the end of the 2-match Test cricket series, known as The Freedom Series, between India and South Africa, in Cape Town, South Africa, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024. The series ended in a 1-1 draw. (PTI Photo/Atul Yadav)
Cape Town: Indian captain Rohit Sharma with teammate Virat Kohli during presentation ceremony at the end of the 2-match Test cricket series, known as The Freedom Series, between India and South Africa, in Cape Town, South Africa, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024. The series ended in a 1-1 draw. (PTI Photo/Atul Yadav)(PTI Photo/Atul Yadav)

India's upcoming T20I cricket series against Afghanistan has sparked widespread interest. Fans are particularly eager to see if Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will return to the national team. Their participation is considered crucial for the upcoming T20 World Cup, where India will compete in Group A alongside Ireland, Canada and the USA.

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Virat and Rohit last represented India in the T20 format during the 2022 World Cup. Then, Hardik Pandya stepped in as the interim T20I captain. Now, with talks of Rohit's potential return, there's renewed discussion about who should lead the team.

Meanwhile, Sunil Gavaskar is sure about it. He thinks Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma must be in India's T20I team. Gavaskar says their skills are important for the World Cup team. He believes they are good not just in batting. Talking to Star Sports, he said their fielding is also very helpful for the team.

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"Virat Kohli's form has been outstanding for the past 1.5 years. He also played brilliantly at the ODI World Cup. So, there should not be any debate over his batting prowess in limited-overs cricket. A massive aspect is that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are still excellent fielders," Gavaskar said.

India top Test rankings

India earlier moved to the top of the ICC World Test Championship rankings after their historic win against South Africa in the second Test match on January 4 in Cape Town. India cruised to a 7-wicket victory against South Africa and gained 12 points to move up on the table, as per ICC.

Watch: ‘Go to Pakistan,’ MS Dhoni tells man; here’s why

India chased down the second-innings target in just 12 overs. This was the shortest completed Test in terms of number of balls bowled, breaking a longstanding 92-year-old record, ANI reported. It only took 642 balls for the Test to complete with a result, beating the 656-ball record in an Australia vs South Africa Test in 1932.

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