BCCI likely to ask Rohit Sharma to lead in South Africa T20I series: Reports
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The selection committee will announce the squad for the South Africa tour on Thursday as plenty of players are keeping their fingers crossed. Apart from Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli has also stayed away from the T20I set-up with his last game also coming in the excruciating defeat against England in the semifinal of the 2022 T20 World Cup. Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the T20I series is still in question which sees Suryakumar Yadav as the only captaincy material in the side.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) selection committee is likely to approach Rohit Sharma to lead in the upcoming T20I series against South Africa as the Men in Blue prepare for the tour. The Indian team set to play three T20Is during the tour is likely to call back Rohit in the T20I set-up having not played in the shortest format since November 2022. However, with Hardik Pandya not available and other players lacking experience to lead the side, Rohit remains the only player that the Ajit Agarkar-led committee could approach.
Rohit to lead India in T20Is?
"Yes, there remains a question of what happens when Hardik comes back but in BCCI, they feel that if Rohit agrees to lead in T20Is, he will lead in the T20 World Cup. In case Rohit doesn't agree then Surya continues as captain for T20Is in South Africa," a BCCI source privy to the development told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
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The selection committee will announce the squad for the South Africa tour on Thursday as plenty of players keeping their fingers crossed. Apart from Rohit, Virat Kohli has also stayed away from the T20I set-up with his last game also coming in the excruciating defeat against England in the semifinal of the 2022 T20 World Cup. Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the T20I series is still in question which sees Suryakumar Yadav as the only captaincy material in the side.
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As things stand, the board is looking for temporary stability having also offered contract extension to coach Rahul Dravid. Rohit handling the T20I side could also see him being considered to lead the 2024 T20 World Cup side, despite few reports stating he is not keen on leading in the shortest format. However, considering the pecking order, Rohit is still the best option India could have rather than handing the reins to Suryakumar Yadav or young talents like Shreyas Iyer or Shubman Gill.
The committee is likely to focus on the Test side as well with Ajinkya Rahane being the big topic of debate. His inclusion could hinge on the availability of players as he remains down the pecking order with Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul and Iyer being the first team players to return. This could also mean Cheteshwar Pujara will have to sit out of the squad with him unlikely to feature for the national side any time soon with the England tour also approaching.
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