Rohit Sharma Is Going To Be The Captain In The T20 World Cup As Well: Aakash Chopra

While Rohit Sharma has not played a T20I for over a year now, speculations are rife that he might return just in time for next year’s T20 World Cup. Several reports also suggest that he is in line to lead the team in the marquee event in the Caribbean and the United States.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been absent from Team India’s T20Is since the humiliating 10-wicket loss against England in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal. Initially, there was speculation that the selectors had rested the senior duo. However, the narrative has shifted, as neither Rohit Sharma nor Virat Kohli has been included in the T20I team since 2022.

Many believe that the selectors have moved on from the two in the shortest format of the game. However, recent reports state that Rohit Sharma is in contention to return to the T20I team as well as replace Hardik Pandya as the captain.

Hardik Pandya has been leading the team in the absence of Rohit Sharma but is yet to be announced as the full-time captain by the BCCI. There are also concerns over the allrounder’s injury track and the BCCI is reportedly not willing to appoint the injury-prone player as a full-time captain.

Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma’s return in T20I side:

While only time will tell how things unfold ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, former India batter Aakash Chopra believes that Rohit Sharma will lead Team India in the tournament. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, the former cricketer-turned-commentator opined that head coach Rahul Dravid‘s contract extension implies that the opening batsman will lead India at the 2024 T20 World Cup.

“He (Rohit) might go as the captain and I feel he will go now. When you have kept Rahul based on continuity, how will you ask Rohit Sharma to go somewhere else? According to me, Rohit is going to be the captain in the T20 World Cup as well,” said Chopra.

“If he is in slightly good form in the IPL, which I feel will be the case this time, he will play with a little freedom, Rohit Sharma will be our captain. You will see Virat Kohli only playing at No. 3,” he added.

Speaking further, Chopra stated that India might have a new opening combination for the next T20 World Cup while also saying that the team won’t be too different than the one that played the last edition of the competition.

“You might see a different opening partner for Rohit Sharma, but I don’t know who that will be. Your core is not going to change. You will see an almost identical squad that played in the 2022 T20 World Cup. It will play in 2024 as well,” said Chopra.

“How they will play is a big issue but I don’t think a lot of things are going to change because the indications are in front of us that they don’t want to change. That is the recency bias. You played a good World Cup and Asia Cup,” he added.