There was numerous anticipation over the way forward for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in T20I cricket and whether or not the selectors intend to select them for the World Cup in June. The wait ended on Sunday night when the Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI choice committee referred to as again the 2 veteran cricketers for the three-match T20I collection in opposition to Afghanistan, thus confirming their presence within the T20 World Cup squad. But whereas the likes of Sourav Ganguly and Sunil Gavaskar backed their comeback to the format with India requiring expertise in West Indies circumstances, few have referred to as out BCCI for the transfer termed as “directionless” with former India cricketer Deep Dasgupta reminding the selectors of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
BCCI’s squad choice for Afghanistan T20I collection has obtained blended reactions
Kohli and Rohit have stayed out T20Is since India’s semifinal knockout within the World Cup match in opposition to England in 2022. With the 2 modern-day legends having their deal with the ODI World Cup and the World Test Championship, India nurtured a gang of younger skills, recent from their spectacular reveals within the 2023 IPL season. Over the course of 16 T20I video games submit IPL final 12 months, India noticed the emergence of Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Jitesh Sharma, making it difficult for the selectors and the crew administration to select and select for each recreation and collection amid the presence of present gamers within the T20 Word Cup fray.
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Speaking to Star Sports on Monday, Dasgupta reckoned that whereas it appeared just like the selectors have been shifting on from Rohit and Kohli, who have been criticised for his or her archaic-style strategy within the format after the final T20 World Cup, going again to them, brings India “back to square one”.
‘Thought the team had moved on from Rohit and Kohli’
“I was slightly surprised because I thought the team had moved on from Rohit and Kohli. The main criticism was the lack of intent from the senior players in the last T20 World Cup. But then again, you need to keep in mind the kind of tracks you are expecting in the West Indies – are you expecting a 180 or 200-run wicket to 160-ish kind of tracks? To be very honest, I do not find any direction here for India in the last one year. If they had to go back to Kohli and Rohit…given the squads we had in the last one year, it is like going back to square one,” he mentioned.
The ex-India wicketkeeper-batter additional identified that Indian batting order would nearly solely stay the identical because the one which featured within the semifinal recreation in opposition to England two years again.
“If you look at the team India had against England (in 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal) and the one against Australia recently, Hardik, Jadeja and Bumrah and Siraj will be back, but the middle-order will remain the same. Kohli will play at No. 3, Surya at 4, Hardik at 5, Jitesh or Samson at 6, then Jadeja and the rest follow. So there won’t be any difference in that middle-order finisher role,” he mentioned.
Dasgupta additionally felt that with India going again to Kohli and Rohit and with injured Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav sure to be a part of the World Cup squad, Rinku, who has been a revelation for the crew down the order as a finisher, may miss out on a spot within the XI. In 12 appearances for India in T20Is, Rinku smashed 262 runs at a strike price of 180 with a boundary each 3.6 balls.
“Someone like Rinku Singh will miss out. You have to pick one between Jitesh and Samson. I am talking about the T20 World Cup going forward. Rinku and Yashasvi had both impressed a lot, especially the former, because he plays a very specific and unique role and there aren’t much competitors for that spot as well. You will get plenty of top-order batters, but there are rarely batters who can perform at No. 7 or 8. Rinku and Tilak might play against Afghanistan, but going forward, when Hardik and Surya will be available, I feel Rinku and Tilak will both miss out,” he concluded.
Source: www.hindustantimes.com
