Rohit Sharma may still have a future in T20 internationals

Ever since India went down to England by 10 wickets in the semi-final of the last T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma has stayed away from the T20I side and Hardik Pandya has captained in his absence. Back then, Rohit’s focus was on 50-over cricket and the ODI World Cup. Under his leadership, India reached the final with 10 wins from 10 games, only to lose to Australia in the summit clash.

The big question now is: will Rohit return to the T20I side? If he returns, he can lead India in another World Cup, just a few months after the defeat in Ahmedabad. But India already have multiple top-order batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, and Ruturaj Gaikwad vying for a spot.

Now, there is no official confirmation yet, but reports say that 36-year-old Rohit might have already played his last T20I match against England in Adelaide last year. However, as per a report in Hindustan Times, a BCCI official said, “The selectors’ outlook is forward-looking, and they want the T20 team to have a distinct identity. But there will be discussions with Rohit to understand his perspective.”

As far as Rohit is concerned, he himself has dropped hints about his own T20I future. Earlier this year in January, Rohit told reporters, “I’ve not decided to give up the format… It’s a 50-over World Cup year, and for some, it’s not possible to play all formats. I definitely fall in that category as well.”

In August later in the year, he did say that he wanted to visit the United States when the T20 World Cup will be hosted. “Because you know the World Cup is coming. In June (2024), the T20 World Cup is happening in this part of the world. So, I’m pretty sure everyone is excited. So yeah, we look forward to that,” Rohit had said.

Rohit played with a strike rate of over 130 in powerplay in the ODI World Cup and that could help his case in case he wants to return to the T20I side, but things will only become clear with time.