Sourav Ganguly Defends Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's Place In Team India's T20I Setup, Says THIS

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma should be part of the Indian T20I team, believes former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, emphasizing their potential contributions in the shortest format. He points to Kohli's exceptional performance in IPL 2023, where the ex-Royal Challengers Bangalore captain scored over 600 runs for the first time since 2016. Kohli amassed an impressive 639 runs in 14 games, finishing as the fourth-highest run-scorer in the league, trailing Shubman Gill, Faf du Plessis, and Devon Conway.

The historic moment.

6th IPL century for Virat Kohli.pic.twitter.com/T4sUkYfdf2

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 18, 2023

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Despite the duo being rested for most of the T20I matches this year to manage their workload, Ganguly has a different perspective. "Pick your best players, it doesn't matter who they are. In my opinion, both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma still have a place in T20I cricket, and I cannot see why a Kohli or a Rohit cannot play T20I cricket," expressed Ganguly to RevSportz.

Ganguly further added, "Kohli was in great form in the IPL, and both have a place in T20 cricket, if you ask me." In the absence of Rohit, Hardik Pandya has assumed the leadership role for the Indian team in most matches and will continue to lead the side in the upcoming five-match T20I series against West Indies.

While Rohit, Virat, and Ravindra Jadeja have been rested, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma have received their maiden call-ups. However, fans expressed their disappointment on social media as players like Rinku Singh, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Jitesh Sharma missed out on the Caribbean tour.

Addressing the exclusion of these players, the former Indian captain acknowledged that due to the limited number of spots in the squad, some prominent names will inevitably miss out. Ganguly reassured them, saying, "They just have to keep playing. They will have to keep performing in whatever chances they get. It happens all the time. Only 15 can be picked in the squad, and 11 can play. So, somebody has to miss out. I am pretty sure their time will come."

The West Indies tour will commence with a two-match Test series starting on July 12, followed by a 3-match ODI series, and the T20I leg will begin on August 3.