Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter and commentator, Deep Dasgupta, is a bit surprised by the return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to India's T20I team for the home series against Afghanistan.
However, Dasgupta believes that the decision could be influenced by the expectation of less batting-friendly pitches in the USA and West Indies at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
After the 2022 T20 World Cup, there was an expectation of a shift in direction, considering senior players like Rohit and Kohli might be phased out as Hardik Panday was leading the young troop.
However, just five months before the 2024 T20 World Cup, the Indian selectors have brought back both Rohit and Kohli into the squad, despite neither having played a T20I in the last 14 months.
Deep Dasgupta said on Star Sports: “I thought in T20 format, the team had moved on from Rohit and Kohli, so a little surprised here. Having said that the way Rohit played in the 50-over World Cup, the main criticism was the lack of intent from the senior players in the last few T20 World Cups. We will have to keep that in mind the pitches to be expected in the West Indies.”
He continued, “Are we expecting a 180 or 200-run wicket or 160-ish kind of games? So, a little surprised since I, like a lot of people, thought we were looking beyond these two great players. To be very honest, I don’t see much direction for India (in T20s) in the past year. If they had to return to Kohli and Rohit, I don’t know what we have gained in the past year since we have gone back to square one.
Dasgupta also feels that despite all the different combinations that have been experimented with since the last T20 World Cup, the latest decision has brought the team back to square one.
They will be playing for the first time since the World Cup. You can’t do much about it. There won’t be many changes in this team now. The middle order will remain the same. I don’t think you will see any change. Keep one thing in mind, pitches in the West Indies aren’t batting-friendly. In 160-170 kind of games, this looks like a better option considering that. You have the experience and ability in Kohli and Rohit.”
Dasgupta fears that once Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar become available, the likes of Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh may find it difficult to get a spot in the World Cup squad whenever it’s named.
“Against Afghanistan, you may see Rinku and Tilak both (in the eleven) but once Hardik, Jadeja and Surya will become available then don’t think either of the two (Rinku and Tilak) will find a place. You have to play a wicketkeeper, be it Jitesh (Sharma) or Sanju (Samson),” he said.
Dasgupta signed off by saying, “You can’t decide the future of someone like Rohit or Virat based on IPL. It’s given Virat will score 500 runs, even in his bad season. It will be interesting to see Rohit since he won’t be leading Mumbai Indians. I think the 95 percent of India squad is confirmed. And in this format, the role of captain is quite prominent as compared to the other two. So, I feel Rohit may end up leading India in the World Cup too.”
(With Star Sports/PTI Inputs)
