Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott feels IPL experience will help his players throw a spanner in the works for the returning duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The pair will return to the T20I format after a long hiatus of 14 months as they last played in the shortest version back in the T20 World Cup 2022 semifinal against England.
While Virat Kohli will miss the opening match of the series against Afghanistan due to personal reasons, Rohit will take the captaincy onus after a long gap. Trott admitted Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are world-class players and they will certainly add more power to the Indian team.
Meanwhile, Kohli has scored 4008 runs in 115 T20I matches at an average of 52.74 whereas Rohit has amassed 3853 runs in 148 matches at an average of 30.82.
“Any side that India selects is strong. Add to it the likes of Rohit and Virat and they have been world-class players for a while. We are fortunate enough to have players who have played quite a lot of cricket against them in the IPL. The other guys have watched them on TV, so there will definitely be some plans for them. It’s about executing those plans and making sure that on the day we are ready to do that,” Trott said in an exclusive interview on JioCinema.
On the other hand, Afghanistan’s talisman spinner Rashid Khan has been ruled out of the three-match T20I series. Khan is still recovering after undergoing a back surgery. The former England batter feels Khan’s absence is an opportunity for other players to step up.
He added, “I believe, with Rashid out of the side, it’s a good opportunity for other players to come in and step up and become household names like he is. Obviously, we are going to miss a player like Rashid, his leadership and the overall package he brings to the side. But it’ll be good to see who is going to stand up and take responsibility and pressure, just a couple of months after the World Cup.”
The first T20I between India and Afghanistan will be played at Mohali on Thursday.
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