“The World T20 Cup is far away.” “If they desire to participate…”: Nehra’s resolute defense of the “36-year-old juvenile” Kohli and Rohit
Since the T20 World Cup last year, India’s two batting mainstays, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, have not played in T20Is. Since then, Hardik Pandya has been captaining the Indian team in the shortest format; however, due to an injury sustained during the World Cup, Suryakumar Yadav has assumed captaincy for the current series against Australia. Since neither Rohit nor Kohli have publicly discussed their future in Twenty20 Internationals, the team has continued to include players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Tilak Varma, who have all shown well in the shorter format.
As a result, there are still rumors swirling around the two players’ futures in the format. News agency PTI stated on Wednesday that Rohit Sharma is not expected to play in T20Is any longer and had even spoken about his future in the shorter format prior to the ODI World Cup starting. The report went on to say that the BCCI brass or the selectors might just ask Rohit to change his stance if the younger generation doesn’t perform.
Although Virat Kohli was not mentioned in the report, it seems likely that the two veteran Indian batsmen will be given the authority to decide how long to play in Twenty20 international matches. Additionally, Ashish Nehra, a former bowler who is now a coach, believes that the team should be allowed to decide whether to go back to the shortest format. Nehra thinks that if Rohit and Kohli opt to play in T20Is, the younger players will have to give way to them.
Regarding Rohit and Kohli, Nehra said, “Age is not a criteria for selection.”
“Age is not a standard. The number of runs you are scoring is what counts. We discussed Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, but if Rohit Sharma wishes to play, they will have to contend with him. This 36-year-old, courageous guy is really young. Before India’s opening Twenty20 international match against Australia on Thursday, Nehra stated on JioCinema, “When we talk about Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, again—World Cup is very far — if they want to play and they are scoring runs, youngsters will have to beat them to make a place in the XI.”
“Not winning the ODI World Cup should not have an impact. What matters most is how those two think. Any selector will be tempted and they will have talks unless they declare their retirement, which I hope won’t be the case in the near future, Nehra continued. Virat Kohli is making runs in the IPL and Rohit Sharma is performing.
All of the players that competed in the ODI World Cup, with the exception of Prasidh Krishna, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav, have been rested for the current Australia series.
