As the Indian cricket team gets ready for the T20 World Cup 2024, their attention will now be on Twenty20 Internationals. Following their defeat in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final. Starting on Thursday, November 23, the first assignment will be a five-match Twenty20 International series against Australia. Notably, star batsmen Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have not been included in the T20I squad. They have been rested for the forthcoming T20I series against Australia since India’s semi-final loss to England in the T20 World Cup 2022.
Gautam Gambhir, a former cricket player for India, wants both of them to carry on participating in T20Is. The former opener stated that, instead of Hardik Pandya. Who has been captaining the team since the T20 World Cup 2022 defeat. He would prefer to see Rohit Sharma lead the team in the shortest format. He went on to say that Virat Kohli was a must take choice for the team.
“They both need to get picked, both should be picked. More importantly. 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. And Virat also should be an automatic choice,” he added.
Kohli and Rohit are top two run scorers in T20Is
Notably, Rohit and Kohli are ranked first and second, respectively, in the list of the top run scorers in Twenty20 international matches. With a strike rate of 137.96 and an average of 52.73 from 107 innings in the shortest format, Kohli has amassed 4008 runs from 107 innings, including one hundred and thirty-seven fifties. In two T20 World Cups, he finished as the top run scorer (2014 and 2022).
However, Rohit has amassed 3853 runs from 140 innings at a strike rate of 139.24, an average of 31.32, 29 fifty-score runs, and a world record four hundred. With just 35 balls, the Indian captain also owns the record for the second-fastest century in the format.
In order to break their ten-year trophy drought, the Indian team will be in dire need of the dynamic duo’s services during the upcoming World Cup, as their incredible numbers speak for themselves.
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