India has seen it all in these last year and a half – first building up to the infamous 2023 World Cup Final debacle and then in the months to follow now putting it all together for a T20 challenge in the US and Caribbean this year. There have been talks about a plethora of scenarios with the availability of players, their form, and the right balance. The developments in the IPL haven’t helped cause either. But at the center of it all is the question – should Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, two of Indian cricket’s brightest stars, be a part of the T20 World Cup 2024? I think the answer is simple, YES – (for as much as India has tried) there isn’t a lot to look beyond Rohit and Virat. They make the team, no questions asked.
Let’s put it into perspective – the latest exhibit – the Rohit Sharma hundred against Afghanistan in the final T20I at Bangalore. India was struggling 22/4 when Rinku Singh joined forces with the Indian captain. The latter had seen the ball do weird things off the surface and the Indian top-order, including Virat Kohli, had fallen prey to the varied purchases it had to offer. It was important to keep the scoreboard ticking, but also to preserve one’s wicket in the middle – given that only Washington Sundar, in next, separated the batters and bowlers. Regardless of the opposition, it is a pressure situation – parallelly, let us also compare this to the 31/4 against Pakistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup; Pandya and Kohli are the two in the middle. This one in Melbourne in a crunch run-chase, against a formidable Pakistani bowling attack, and in India’s inaugural match a the T20 World Cup. Both situations come in with their own sets of challenges, with their share of strategies but are sure to attract a lot of tension, pressure, and multiple character tests.
Handling pressure situations does not come naturally to anyone – it develops over the years with experience. Both Rohit and Kohli have played such pivotal roles in the upliftment of Indian cricket over the years and dare I say, they continue to do so. You look at the 2023 World Cup and you’d find at least either of them scoring big every game. Back to the two instances in discussion – the next chapter, the struggle in rebuilding the Indian innings. Rohit and Rinku made only little tweaks to their intent to score runs, only taking risks when necessary. Meanwhile Virat and Pandya in their attempt to keep the chase on track, played as if they planned the game in phases too. Both these pairs, if you look at the scorecard, only played about a run-a-ball for the next few overs. They understood the importance of taking the game deep and believed in their abilities to go big towards the endovers. India has been susceptible to collapses throughout these past few years and that ability to play such situations, right there, is one of the major reasons to play Rohit and Kohli above anyone else.
“Kohli goes down the ground, Kohli goes out of the ground” – 18.5, 18.6 will stay with the Indian fans for the longest of times. So will Rohit Sharma’s 5th T20I hundred – for the hardships they fought through in their innings, the situational awareness they showed, and of course, the planning and execution of what played out to be. The likes of Rinku Singh, and Hardik Pandya, who played their crucial respective supports, too found their calm in the presence of Rohit and Virat. That upliftment, and the freedom in everyone else to play around these two, will be very crucial in India’s bid to make amends to their ICC fortunes. In this fast-moving nature of the game, and with an ICC event each year, it is imperative to phase out these legends rather than opting for a sudden change.
Having said that, it is also important for the team management to let know the youngsters, who will consequently miss out, about the opportunities that will come by in the future. It will be necessary to have those messages sent out loud and clear, especially in the current era of false media and spreading rumors. For Virat and Rohit – you two have given India countless memories and it is only fitting for us to reward you with all the time you need to keep doing so. It has been an absolute pleasure to watch, and will always be.
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