Former England cricketer Monty Panesar feels Indian skipper Rohit Sharma along with Dinesh Karthik and Ravichandran Ashwin should make way for young players in the T20 format. Following India’s loss against England in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final, several questions came to the fore, including the performance of the senior players.
The Rohit Sharma-led team suffered a 10-wickets defeat as they failed to defend 170 runs against England. The batting line-up too, except for Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya did not perform up to the expectations. Monty Panesar expressed that the Indian team might witness some retirements from the T20 format following the World Cup. He said to the Times of India,
“India disappointed everyone (with the way they lost in the semi-final), and I think there are some retirements coming up. It was a completely one-sided affair. Indian bowling looked clueless in front of Buttler and Hales. You are playing the semis and you need to give a solid fight; 168 is not a small score.”
“Rohit, Dinesh Karthik, and R Ashwin are the top names who could say goodbye to T20I cricket. The team management will surely have a meeting with these guys and will ask them about their plans… It is time these players make way for young players,” he added.
Age is just a number for Virat considering his super fitness: Monty Panesar
Former England spinner Monty Panesar heaped praise on in-form India batter Virat Kohli, who finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer. He scored 296 runs in six innings, at an average of 98.66. Monty Panesar expressed that the fans might get to see Kohli play another T20 World Cup in 2024. However, he added that the likes of Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, and Ravichandran Ashwin might retire to focus on other formats.
“Virat is in great form. He is the fittest among all the Indian players. Age is just a number for Virat considering his super fitness. You may see him in the 2024 T20 World Cup. I am not seeing Rohit being part of that tournament, DK and Ashwin too (may not be there). There could be more players (considering T20I retirement), but these three, I think, will leave T20Is and focus on Tests and ODIs,” said Monty Panesar.
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