Former Indian selector Sarandeep Singh welcomed the decision of the BCCI national selectors to bring back Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli into the T20I squad for the upcoming three-match series against Afghanistan at home.

Virat and Rohit, both last seen in action in T20I cricket in the 2022 T20 World Cup, are set to play in the home series against Afghanistan, which holds significance as it is Team India's final T20I series before the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

Reacting to Kohli and Rohit’s return to the T20I set-up, Sarandeep said that the senior batters’ significant contributions in the ODI World Cup 2023 played a massive part in the selectors’ call. He also added that the duo's experience and form would be crucial for the team in the T20 World Cup 2024.

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Sarandeep Singh told PTI: “In ICC events, you need players who can handle pressure well. They both were great in the ODI World Cup and are in top form. However, this development means it would be very difficult to accommodate Jaiswal and Ruturaj.”

Speaking about Rohit and Kohli’s absence from the T20Is in 2023, he said: “You have to prepare bench strength also. In all probability, this will be their last T20 World Cup. If Rohit and Virat were not rested, you could not have tried the likes of Jaiswal, Ruturaj, Jitesh (Sharma) and others.”

He signed off by saying, “Having said that, these two greats don’t need to play the shortest format to make a comeback. Eventually, the performance of all the World Cup probables in the IPL will make the picture clearer for the subsequent World Cup.”

(With PTI Inputs)