Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma should continue playing T20Is for India: Gautam Gambhir

Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir feels Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma should continue playing T20Is for India. Both the veterans last played a T20I for the national team in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2022 against England.

Since then, Hardik Pandya has been leading the team in the shortest format of the game. Recently it has been reported that Rohit Sharma might not play T20Is anymore, according to a report by PTI.

With the T20 World Cup set to be played next year, Gambhir backed the experienced duo to get back into the T20I team. 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.

“They both need to get picked, both should be picked. More importantly, I want to see Rohit Sharma as captain in the T20 World Cup. Yes, Hardik has been captaining in T20Is but I would still want to see Rohit as captain in the World Cup. Don’t pick Rohit Sharma only as a batter,” Gambhir told Sportskeeda.

“Rohit is a phenomenal leader, he has proved that with his leadership and batting in this ODI World Cup. If you are picking Rohit, which you should then he should be selected as a captain who can bat. And Virat also should be an automatic choice,” he added.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were brilliant in the recently concluded World Cup 2023. Rohit scored 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.