‘I cannot see why…’ – Sourav Ganguly shares opinion on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s absence from T20I squad against WI

Former India cricketer turned commentator Sourav Ganguly said that senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma ought to be part of the Men in Blue’s T20I roster for the upcoming tour against the West Indies. The former Indian Cricket Board president further said that the two veteran batters shouldn’t have been benched.

In addition, the former India captain highlighted Kohli’s outstanding showing in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) edition, where the stylish right-handed batter smashed two centuries back-to-back against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titians. “Kohli was in great form in IPL, in my opinion both Rohit & Kohli have a place in T20I, I cannot see why Kohli or Rohit cannot play T20I,” Ganguly said.

Following India’s exit from the T20 World Cup in Australia during last year’s semi-final against England, Indian star batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma haven’t appeared in a single T20I match. Notably, the most recent squad picked for the West Indies gives some indication that it might be the manner in which India plays in T20 cricket leading up to the T20 World Cup next year.

Neither the board nor the players have publicly stated anything about their T20I future

It’s intriguing that neither the board nor the players have publicly stated anything about their T20I future. The stylish right-handed batter Kohli had an excellent showing in this year’s IPL and emerged as the season’s fourth-highest run-scorer; however, Mumbai opener Rohit fell short of expectations.

Meanwhile, the 34-year-old dashing batter Virat Kohli and star opener Rohit Sharma will be in action during the forthcoming India vs. West Indies two-match Test series, which commences on Wednesday, July 12. Notably, they are also included in the upcoming three-match ODI series. Furthermore, they are not picked up for the five T20I games. For that series, Hardik Pandya will take charge of leading the young Indian lineup.

The Indian team is prepared to square off against the West Indies for two test matches, followed by three one-day internationals. After the completion of both, a five-match T20I series will get underway, with the first match slated for August 3.