IND vs SL: Rohit Sharma Breaks Silence On His T20I Retirement Speculation

The 35-year-old India National Cricket Team opening batsman Rohit Sharma, who leads the Men In Blue across all three formats of the game, has opened up on the speculation of his retirement from T20 Internationals (T20Is).

Rohit Sharma wasn’t named in the squad for the recently concluded three-match T20I series against the Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lanka National Cricket Team at home. The absence of Rohit from the squad led to the speculation that the transition phase in Indian cricket has kicked off and he will no longer lead India in T20Is and will eventually retire from the format.

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At the time of the announcement, the BCCI didn’t reveal any reason behind Rohit Sharma’s non-selection in T20Is alongside Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. However, later reports emerged, claiming that Rohit was not included in the squad because he didn’t recover from the finger injury he sustained during the ODI series against Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, captain Hardik Pandya alongside his deputy Suryakumar Yadav led India to a 2-1 triumph over Sri Lanka in the T20I series in the absence of seniors from the team.

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Speaking at a press conference ahead of the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Guwahati, Rohit Sharma cleared the air over his T20I future, saying that he has “not decided to give up the format”.

“Firstly, it is not possible to play back-to-back matches. You need to give them (all format players) enough break. I definitely fall in that as well. We have three T20Is against New Zealand. We will see what happens after IPL. I have not decided to give up the format,” Rohit told the media on Monday.

It’s a great headache to have – Rohit Sharma on India’s middle-order options

Captain Rohit Sharma said that having plenty of good middle-order batting options in the team is a “great headache” but insisted that they will select players in the ODI XI based on their form in the 50-over format.

“It’s a great headache to have. We will look at the performances of the guys who have done well. The problem happens when we start comparing different formats. We have to look at who has done well for us in ODIs. Guys who have performed will get a run. Form is important, but formats are also important,” he said.

Also Read: IND vs SL: Wasim Jaffer Picks Suryakumar Yadav Over KL Rahul For 1st ODI vs Sri Lanka In Guwahati

Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah