Ex-Indian opener points awareness to the 'mystery' surrounding Rohit, Kohli

The Indian Cricket Board confirmed an extension for Rahul Dravid as the chief coach and the rest of the support staff of the Indian Cricket Team on Wednesday, November 29. This developer came after 10 days following the heart-wrenching loss in the final game of the World Cup ODI 2023 against Australia. There were assumptions about Dravid’s renewal as the head coach because of his tight-lipped attitude in the post-match conference of the World Cup final but momentarily agreed to extend his contract. Although the exact timespan of his contract has not been revealed, it is quite clear that he will be seen accompanying the team for the World Cup T20 and the World Test Championship which will be held next year. 

Yet there has not been much clarity on the future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the shortest format of the game. The two Indian cricketing legends had been skipping matches in this format since the last World Cup T20 in 2022. In Rohit Sharma's absence, Hardik Pandya has well-versed with the Men in Blue and led them from the front. The side has also seen the arrival of multiple youngsters in the T20 circuit. Despite all these, the greatness of this legendary duo is speculated to be witnessed yet again in next year’s World Cup T20, but a slight string of confusion over their returns remains the same. 

In between the assumptions, former Indian opener Aakash Chopra posted an interesting tweet on the matter. He expressed that despite the reports, Rohit has never expressed his willingness to be unavailable for T20Is and the reason for his as well as Kohli’s absence in this format has never been clarified. 

“I don’t think Rohit has ever expressed his desire not to lead India in any format. Happy to be corrected…if I have missed anything,” Chopra wrote.

“So, why does he need to be convinced of something that he’s never said NO to?? In fact, since the last T20 World Cup…nobody has mentioned why Rohit-Virat weren’t a part of any T20i that India played. That’s a mystery…nobody has ever tried to unravel.”

On Thursday, November 30, the Indian board is expected to announce the squads for the T20I side against South Africa which will be played in the last month of 2023. The selection of players for this series will somehow be linked to the board’s blueprint for the World Cup T20 next year. Also, the series against the Proteas will be deemed as a crucial point for the preparations before the marquee event.