Watch: "I've been rested" - Rohit Sharma hilariously reveals he forgot about his T20I retirement
Published - 01 Aug 2024, 06:48 PM | Updated - 24 Aug 2024, 06:56 AM
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma will make a comeback in ODI cricket for the first time since playing the ICC World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedabad.
After leading India to T20 World Cup glory and ending India's ICC title drought of over a decade Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja took retirement from T20I cricket. India under their new T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav and new coach Gautam Gambhir won the T20I series 3-0 against Sri Lanka.
SKY's bold captaincy impressed Rohit Sharma. Rohit and Virat joined the Indian team for the ODI series a few days ago and are down to practice. The first ODI will be played in Colombo on August 2 and Rohit Sharma addressed the pre-match press conference. In the presser, he recalled his T20I retirement saying that he doesn't feel like he has taken retirement from the T20I format.
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"Abhi tak mujhe aisa hi...I felt like I have been rested from the T20s liks it used to happen in the past. And there will be big tournament coming up and we'll have to get ready for T20s again. I still feel it is like that. So I don't think I'm completely out of it," Rohit said in the pre-match press conference ahead of the first ODI.
Watch: Felt Like I Have Been Rested From T20Is - Rohit Sharma
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The Indian ODI team will see a few new faces for the first time. The likes of Riyan Parag, and Harshit Rana have earned their maiden call-ups. Khaleel. Ahmed who had a tough time in the final overs of the last T20I is also making a comeback to the ODI side after five years. Shivam Dube and Kuldeep Yadav who did not play the T20Is are making a comeback as well.
Apart from Kohli and Rohit's comeback, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant are making a comeback to ODI cricket. Pant missed the ODI World Cup due to his rehabilitation and KL Rahul made the most of the opportunity in the tournament. In the ODI World Cup, Rahul amassed 452 runs with two half-centuries and a century, as well as took 16 catches and effected a stumping. He also led the team in India's last ODI series against South Africa and was also the specialist wicketkeeper.
In the press conference, Rohit Sharma spoke about choosing between Pant and Rahul as the specialist wicketkeeper-batsman. He said both have performed for the team and are matchwinners in their own rights. Rohit said that it is a tough call but is a nice problem to have in the team.
Shreyas Iyer's ODI comeback will be assessed as well. He lost his central contract with the BCCI due to his bad run of form and fitness standards. But he was recalled back into the team after his consistent performances with KKR in IPL 2024. He eventually led the team to their third title win earlier this year.
Also Read: "Good start, but..." - Rohit Sharma's no-nonsense verdict on Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy for India