Legendary Sunil Gavaskar has backed the experienced duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to play T20 World Cup 2024. The pair hasn’t been in the reckoning for India’s T20I squad since the T20 World Cup 2022 and it will be interesting to note if they return for a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan.
The duo had backed out of the limited-overs leg against South Africa. Gavaskar said Kohli and Rohit are both great fielders and they should be included in India’s T20 World Cup squad.
While Kohli has scored 4008 runs in 115 T20I matches at an average of 52.74, Rohit has amassed 3853 runs in 148 matches at an average of 30.82.
Rohit and Virat have all the experience under their belt and they will aim to deliver in the T20I showpiece if they get picked. The duo was brilliant in the World Cup 2023, with Rohit scoring 597 runs in 11 matches of the World Cup 2023 at an average of 54.27 and a blistering strike rate of 125.95. The talisman scored three fifties and one century in the ODI showpiece.
On the other hand, Virat Kohli finished the tournament as the highest run-getter with 765 runs in 11 matches at an average of 95.62 and a strike rate of 90.32. Ergo, he was awarded Player of the tournament for his consistent performances.
“Kohli’s form has been outstanding in the last 1.5 years. He played unbelievably in the 2023 World Cup, making 750-plus runs with 3 centuries. So, there is no doubt about his limited-overs batting. But what makes me feel good is their fielding capacity. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are still great fielders and will be of great help on the field,” Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
Meanwhile, India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland on June 5th whereas they will face arch-rivals Pakistan on 9th June at New York.
India will next take on Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series, starting 11th January.
