Rohit Sharma captain, Virat Kohli kicked aside as Harsha Bhogle picks ICC T20 World Cup 2024 'Team of the Tournament'

Renowned commentator Harsha Bhogle praised Indian skipper Rohit Sharma for his impactful batting performances during the T20 World Cup 2024. Harsha Bhogle highlighted how Rohit Sharma's aggressive batting style with a high strike rate helped the India team secure the trophy in the T20 World Cup 2024.

Rohit Sharma led India to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa. The Men in Blue secured the trophy with a seven-run win in Barbados on June 29. The 37-year-old announced his retirement from T20I cricket. Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja also retired from T20Is after the World Cup victory.

The veteran Indian opener was the second-highest run scorer in the tournament. Sharma scored 257 runs across eight innings with an impressive strike rate of 156.70, including half-centuries. He played crucial knocks against Australia (Super-8) and England (semi-final) to guide the Indian team to the final match.

No Doubt About My First Opener - Harsha Bhogle

Harsha Bhogle picked Rohit Sharma as his top-choice opener and captain for the T20 World Cup 2024 team. Bhogle highlighted Sharma's ability to take calculated risks and maintain a high strike rate throughout the tournament. 

"No doubt about my first opener; that was Rohit Sharma, who played some defining innings in this tournament. He was always propping up India in a certain way but also brought into this idea of batting with a very high strike rate and slightly higher risk compared to everywhere else. When he got going, he was sensational. So, Rohit Sharma is in as captain because he was just good at what he did," Bhogle said.

Rohit Sharma became the second Indian captain after MS Dhoni to secure the T20 World Cup title. His leadership ended India's 11-year drought for an ICC trophy. Rohit concluded his T20I career as India's highest run scorer in the format, amassing 4,231 runs in 159 matches with five centuries and 32 fifties.

Makes The Team As The Wicketkeeper - Harsha Bhogle

Harsha Bhogle considered Travis Head and Quinton de Kock for the second opener position. However, the 62-year-old picked Rahmanullah Gurbaz due to his impressive performances. Bhogle mentioned that Gurbaz set the tone for his team with opening partnerships with Ibrahim Zadran, including against Australia.

"For the second opener, I had a few thoughts. Always good to have a left-hander, Travis Head had his moments in this World Cup. Quinton de Kock also had his moments; he would also have been the wicketkeeper in this side. But I found it very difficult to go beyond Rahmanullah Gurbaz. It was his opening partnership with Ibrahim Zadran that set the tone for some of their most famous wins, including that one against Australia. Rahmanullah Gurbaz is my other opener, even though he's right-handed, and makes the team as the wicketkeeper," Bhogle added.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz emerged as the leading run-scorer in the tournament. The wicketkeeper scored 281 runs in eight matches at an average of 35.13 and a strike rate of 124.34. He hit three half-centuries with a best score of 80 against New Zealand. Gurbaz also scored 60 runs against Australia in the Super 8 stage.

Meanwhile, Harsha Bhogle further picked 5 more Indians in his Team of the Tournament in Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Arshdeep Singh.

Harsha Bhogle's Team of the Tournament - Rohit Sharma (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Nicholas Pooran, Suryakumar Yadav, Marcus Stoinis, Heinrich Klaasen, Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh

Also read: Jay Shah drops bombshell revelation on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's ODI and Test future after T20I retirement