India suffered a humiliating exit on the semi-final stage after an impressive performance at the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. With the team unable to bring home the trophy, reports of massive overhaul have created immense buzz around the future of some of the veteran stars.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is looking to take the Men’s T20 squad through a two-year transition phase where new players will be tried and several existing mainstays may lose their place. Veteran India stars like spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and wicket keeper Dinesh Karthik are likely to have played their last T20I games, sources have said.
To continue or not, is the big question that the BCCI is likely to present in front of the two biggest Team India stars – skipper Rohit Sharma and iconic batsman Virat Kohli. Sources have been quoted as saying that the decision about 35-year-old Sharma and 34-year-old Kohli’s future as T20I players will be left on them by the BCCI.
With the next T20 World Cup in 2024, the BCCI will look to play new talent in the matches before the tournament and ask senior players to focus on ODIs and Tests. There is speculation that star all-rounder Hardik Pandya will replace Rohit Sharma as India’s long-term T20 captain.
A source told PTI that the BCCI does not take decisions regarding retirement of players and leaves it entirely to them. But most senior players will not feature in T20 cricket in 2023, it was added.
BCCI will have a meeting with Sharma, Kohli and T20 World Cup 2022 coach Rahul Dravid to discuss the future of T20I cricket team, as per a latest Indian Express report.
Dravid was also asked about the future of Kohli and Sharma after India’s defeat. “It’s too early to talk about it right now just after a semi-final game. These guys have been terrific performers for us. Like you said, we have a couple of years to reflect on it. There are some really good quality players here, so absolutely not the right time to talk about this stuff or think about this stuff right now. We’ll have enough games, enough matches as we go on ahead, and India will try and build and prepare for the next World Cup,” Dravid told PTI.
But while fans may not see Kohli and Sharma in T20Is in the future, the stars will definitely feature for India in most of the 25 ODIs next year in the run up to the World Cup to be hosted by India.
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