Yuvraj Singh has remarked on the comeback of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to the Indian T20I team after a 14-month hiatus. The 2011 World Cup winner attributes their extended absence to being versatile players across all formats.
Kohli and Rohit’s return to the T20I squad for the three-game series against Afghanistan received different opinions from people.
The prominent pair hadn’t participated in T20Is since the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final against England, focusing on the other two formats. With another T20 World Cup approaching, the BCCI chose to reintroduce them to the T20I setup.
When questioned about Virat and Rohit’s extended break from T20Is, Yuvraj responded by referencing the lyrics of a well-known Kishore Kumar song.
He emphasized Rohit’s exceptional captaincy skills, citing his impressive records in both the IPL and for the Indian team. According to PTI, the 42-year-old stated:
“Kuchh toh log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kehna. It’s because they play all the three formats, they are back after 14 months. You have to manage your workload if you play the three formats.”
“It’s a question for the selectors. I can say Rohit has been a great captain, he’s got five IPL trophies, he took us to the (World Cup) final. He has been one of our great captains of IPL and India. We have to manage his workload.”
Despite this, Rohit Sharma’s comeback to T20I cricket didn’t go well as he got run-out without scoring on the second ball of India’s innings due to a mix-up with Shubman Gill. Nonetheless, India comfortably won the first T20I against Afghanistan.
“Rohit has consistently played a crucial role in bringing out the best in Hardik”- Yuvraj Singh
Hardik Pandya took over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024. Yuvraj commented on possible ego concerns, expressing confidence that both players would set aside any issues and give their best for India.
“Rohit has always been very instrumental in getting the best out of Hardik whenever he has played for Mumbai Indians, especially in terms of his bowling to manage his workload. Hardik has always been always good with the bat at death.”
“Batting at 4 for Gujarat, he batted like a batter. They should definitely talk about it. I don’t see an issue there.”
“Whenever you are playing for your country, your priority is to put everything aside and give your 100 percent in the park. They both are professionals, if they have any issue they will put it aside and give 100 percent for the country.”
Hardik Pandya is presently recovering from an injury but is anticipated to regain fitness in preparation for IPL 2024.
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