On Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli's T20I Future, Ex India Star's Honest Verdict

India's ODI and Test captain Rohit Sharma's future in the shortest format remains a topic of discussion, with reports claiming that the veteran opener is unlikely to feature in T20Is going forward. Rohit, along with fellow veteran Virat Kohli, hasn't played a single game in the shortest format since the T20 World Cup semi-final defeat to England last year. Hardik Pandya has been leading the team in Rohit's absence in T20Is. The likes of Tilak Varma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Rinku Singh have done well in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

While Rohit, 36, and Kohli, 35, not getting any younger, former India pacer Ashish Nehra age shouldn't be the only criteria to determine their future.

"Age is no criterion. What matters is how many runs you are scoring. We spoke about Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill... but if Rohit Sharma wants to play, they have to compete with him. Here is a 36-year-old super-youngster, fearless guy. When we talk about Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, again -- T20 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," Nehra said on Jio Cinema.

Nehra added Rohit and Kohli should be allowed to play T20Is as long as they want to, adding that the two veterans are unlikely to announce their retirements.

"Loss in the ODI World Cup shouldn't make a difference. How those two think is the most important part. Virat Kohli is scoring runs in IPL, Rohit Sharma is performing, any selector will be tempted and they will have discussions unless they announce their retirement, which I hope won't be the case in near future," the Gujarat Titans head coach added.

With Rohit rested and Hardik injured, Suryakumar led India to a two-wicket win over Australia in the first T20I on Thursday.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Rohit Sharma Virat Kohli Ashish Nehra Cricket