Looking at the Indian team’s recent trend in T20I cricket, it seems that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma might not be in the scheme of things in the future. The two senior players are being given constant rests, while Hardik Pandya has been leading the team. Rohit and Kohli’s absence from T20Is has raised many concerns.
Rashid Latif, a former Pakistan captain, believes India would need at least one of Rohit and Kohli in the shorter format as well, claiming that India’s chances of reaching the final of next year’s 20-20 World Cup look slim with such a young squad.
“You might get a replacement for KL Rahul but it won’t be that easy to find replacements for seasoned players (like Kohli and Rohit). Yes, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, and Ishan Kishan might take their places in the future. But these are similar players with similar experiences, playing at the same time. Can these players take you to the T20 World Cup final?
“Gill, Shaw, Tripathi, Hooda, Ishan… can these players take you to the final? In yesterday’s match (1st T20I vs NZ), there was a problem when they didn’t have a senior player. If they had a senior player, he could’ve taken them past the finishing line. So, Hardik Pandya and Rahul Dravid might have to consider bringing at least one of the two (Rohit and Kohli) if not both in the mix,” Latif said on his official YouTube channel.
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