With the ICC T20 World Cup nearing, making the best picks for the national team is of utmost importance. So, Indian national selectors are currently faced with a difficult choice to make for the upcoming T20 series against Afghanistan: Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli? Who gets picked?
It would not be beyond the realm of possibility to imagine that the selectors would ideally want to pick both of them. But, when it comes to selection for the upcoming T20 World Cup, a riding factor to take into consideration would be their form in the IPL.
With time being of essence, Chairman of Selectors Ajit Agarkar flew to South Africa during the second Test against the Proteas in Cape Town to hold discussions with both of the veterans and it seems that both superstars have made themselves available for the marquee tournament.
Now, yet another decision the BCCI will have to make is regarding the selection of the squad for the upcoming T20 series against Afghanistan starting on January 11.
But, it has also been reported that the balance of the team might be an issue if both superstars are selected for the series.
“If you have Rohit, Shubman Gill, Virat, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik constituting your top five then where is your left-hander? Now, let’s assume you drop Kohli and play Gill at No.3 with Yashasvi Jaiswal opening with Rohit. Can Ajit take that bold call,” a former national selector exclaimed on the condition of anonymity.
If the selectors include both Rohit and Kohli, the two people who would miss out are Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan, the latter being a left-handed keeper-batter and a top-order batting option.
“The flexibility will always be an issue but there would always be external factors that need to be countered. Did you see ICC promoting the tourney with Kohli’s giant billboard video in New York. MI handle put that aerial advert of Rohit and Shaheen Shah Afridi. So there will be external pressure,” a former BCCI office bearer said.
“It will be on Jay how much he can empower Agarkar’s committee. As of now you need to accommodate both or drop both. The sensible thing would be to include both for Afghanistan and not make any promise for World T20 till the IPL performance is monitored,” the veteran administrator said.
(with inputs from agencies)
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