Veteran India batter Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma have reportedly shown interest in continuing to play in T20Is in a chat with BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar. Agarkar, along with other selectors SS Das and Salil Ankola, is in South Africa.

Both Kohli and Rohit have not played any T20Is since the T20 World Cup 2022 as they focused on ODIs to prepare for the ICC World Cup last year. In Rohit’s absence, Hardik Pandya, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav captained the Indian T20I side in various series.

With the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town finishing inside two days, the BCCI selection committee will meet on Friday to pick the India squads for the three T20 games against Afghanistan and the first two Tests against England.

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The series against Afghanistan starts on January 11, while the five-match Test series versus England begins on January 25.

The 3-match T20I series against Afghanistan will be India’s only international assignment in the format before the T20 World Cup 2024 which begins in June in the Caribbean and the USA.

The report also stated that Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav will be unavailable for selection due to injury and a new captain might be named for the T20I series.

It is also expected that pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will be rested for the Afghanistan T20Is and they will now directly feature in the England Test series. The Indian team management wants their two in-form pacers to be fully fit for the long series against England at home.

(Indian Express inputs)