"No Selector Has Guts To Include Rohit Sharma And Drop Virat Kohli.."- Aakash Chopra

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra opened up about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s return to the T20I squad for the upcoming series against Afghanistan. Aakash Chopra emphasized that the selectors lacked the courage to drop one and choose the other.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed the T20I squad for the upcoming home series. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returned to the squad after a 14-month absence. This marks their first T20I appearance since the 2022 World Cup semi-final loss.

The senior duo skipped the T20I matches to focus on preparing for the 2023 World Cup. Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya took charge of the team in T20Is. The selectors have now expressed confidence in Rohit’s leadership by naming him captain for the upcoming series.

Not Going To Happen – Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra, the former Indian opener, expressed his opinion on the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to the T20I squad, emphasizing that both players would either be picked or dropped.

“If the selectors had thought of dropping either, I don’t think any selector has (the guts) to drop one and pick the other. Not going to happen,” Aakash Chopra said.

“Either both would have been picked or dropped. Rohit-Kohli would have been either selected or dropped. No one has the guts to pick one and drop another, which is not possible for anyone to do,“ he added.

The Indian cricket team will take on the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan at home. The series kicks off in Mohali on Thursday, January 11, with the subsequent matches scheduled for Indore on January 14 and Bengaluru on January 17.

The upcoming T20I series will serve as India’s last preparation ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. The selectors will closely monitor the players’ performances during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav Ruled Of Series Due To Injuries

Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, and Ruturaj Gaikwad were ruled out due to respective injuries. KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Ishan Kishan failed to make it to the squad. Ravindra Jadeja, the vice-captain in the recent T20I series, is also not part of the squad.

Left-handers Rinku Singh and Tilak Verma are included in the squad to boost the middle order. Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube, absent from the South African series, returned to the Indian squad. Spin-bowling all-rounder Axar Patel also returned to the T20I squad.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been absent from the T20I series. Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar will lead the pace bowling attack. The selectors have chosen four spinners, including Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, and Kuldeep Yadav.

India T20I squad for Afghanistan series: Rohit Sharma (C), S Gill, Y Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, W Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar.

Also read: IND vs SA: “Test Cricket Is In ICU…” – Aakash Chopra Takes Dig At South Africa, Pakistan