Cape Town. The T20 team against Afghanistan is being awaited but the discussion about it does not seem to be ending. The selectors of the Indian team have their eyes set on the T20 World Cup to be held in June. It is not easy for him to choose between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the upcoming series against Afghanistan. As of now it seems that both will be kept in the team but it is possible that the form during IPL will be considered important for selection in the T20 World Cup team.
There may be another round of discussion in which senior officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) can take a decision. Selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar had gone to South Africa to talk to both the players during the second Test and both of them have declared themselves available. But there are a lot of external factors that may ultimately require BCCI Secretary Jay Shah to take a decision.
There are only five days left for the first T20 match against the touring Afghanistan and the BCCI has not yet announced the squad for the three-match series starting on January 11. Agarkar has left for India and it is possible that the team will be announced after his return in the next 24 to 48 hours. If both Rohit and Kohli are included in the playing eleven then the balance of the team could be an issue.
“If you have Rohit, Shubman Gill, Virat, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya in your top 5, then where is your left-handed batsman,” a former national selector told PTI on condition of anonymity. Suppose you remove Kohli and play Gill at number three and make Yashasvi Jaiswal open the innings with Rohit. But can Ajit take this bold decision?
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Tags: Ajit Agarkar, India vs Afghanistan, Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli
FIRST PUBLISHED: January 6, 2024, 21:56 IST