Former wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta conveyed surprise at the decision to include Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in India’s T20 lineup for the Afghanistan series. Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma may not have the age on their side but their presence can undoubtedly help India win the marquee championship in T20 WC 2024 which is staged in USA-West Indies in June 2024.
Notably, Both Kohli and Rohit have not played T20Is for India since the team’s 10-wicket defeat in the 2022 World Cup semi-final against England. Despite their availability for the shortest format once again, concerns arose regarding whether the duo should be included in India’s plans for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Nevertheless, the inclusion of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the Afghanistan series assures their participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup in June.
Deep Dasgupta’s strange view on the inclusion of Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma for Afghanistan T20Is
In a conversation with Star Sports, Deep Dasgupta expressed his perspective, stating that India seemed to have returned to square one, making it difficult to make sense of all the moves made over the past year. Deep Dasgupta said,
“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,”
Dasgupta further added that the Indian playing XI would now look similar to the side that suffered a embarrassing defeat to England in the previous T20 World Cup. He elaborated,
“If you look at the team India had against England (in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal) and the one against Australia recently, Hardik, Jadeja, 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,”
In addition to making a comeback to the squad, Rohit Sharma was appointed the captain for the upcoming three-match series against Afghanistan, set to commence on Thursday. Despite winning the inaugural edition in 2007, Team India has faced challenges in T20 World Cups, having reached the final only once in the last seven tournaments.
Going forward I feel both Rinku Singh and Tilak Varma will miss out- Deep Dasgupta
Deep Dasgupta believes that with the comeback of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, players like Rinku Singh and Tilak Varma might have to miss out on a spot in the playing XI for the T20 World Cup.
Despite Rinku’s impressive start to his international career, averaging 65.50 at a strike rate of 180.68 in 12 T20Is, the return of Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya after the IPL could lead to a plenty of options for India in the middle order. The competition for spots in the playing XI is expected to intensify, and tough decisions may be necessary with the experienced duo of Rohit and Kohli rejoining the T20 setup.
“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,” said Deep Dasgupta.
“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 added.
Rinku Singh has made the finisher role his own since his debut against Ireland in August 2023. The upcoming series against Afghanistan is India’s final T20I assignment before the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the U.S.A.
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