Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are the two big names in Indian cricket today. The duo played a major role in India’s recent victory at the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados. After the win, both the legendary cricketers decided to retire from the T20I format.
Though the Indian team was filled with joy and relief after winning the T20 World Cup, it was not always like that. Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had to face harsh criticism from fans, former cricketers and various factions for their repeated failure to win any ICC trophy.
The strike rates of both players were always in question. But despite all the criticism, the selectors decided to retain the legendary duo for the 2024 T20 World Cup and this paid off as India claimed the title. In the end, it turned out to be a fairytale ending for these legends.
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Selectors decided to back Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for T20Is despite harsh criticism: Reports
According to a report, chief selector Ajit Agarkar decided to speak to captain Rohit Sharma about his future in T20I cricket. Rohit decided to take one more shot at the title, which turned out to be the right one as well.
“Rohit immediately agreed. He felt that he would give it one last chance in the T20 format. Rohit felt that the way he is batting, he can continue for another season,” a BCCI official told The Indian Express.
Rohit Sharma had a fabulous 2023 ODI World Cup where he finished as the second-highest run-scorer of the tournament with 597 runs in 11 matches. Most importantly, he had a strike rate of 125.94 which showed a successful change in his batting style. Such an aggressive style was likely to work for him in the T20 format and it proved to be correct in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Rohit Sharma finished the 2024 T20 World Cup with 257 runs from 8 matches. He had a strike rate of 156.70, which was a big ask for the bowling-friendly wickets in the US and the Caribbean.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli would also likely be backed if Rohit Sharma were to get a chance. Kohli has an excellent record in T20Is with an average close to 50. Talking about T20 World Cups, he has an even better record and despite the 2024 T20 World Cup not being his best, he still finished as the leading run-scorer in T20 World Cups with an average of 58.72.
Virat Kohli has a fantastic IPL 2024
Apart from this, Kohli had a fantastic IPL 2024, where he emerged as the leading run-scorer of the tournament. Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are two batsmen who would likely give Kohli a run for his money in the team, but both of them had a fantastic IPL 2024 season.
“With these three important pieces of the puzzle in place, the picture was clear. Now we needed to put a plan in place,” a selector told The Indian Express.
With the 2024 T20 World Cup victory, Virat Kohli has won his first T20 World Cup title, while Rohit Sharma now has two T20 World Cups under his belt. He was also a part of India’s T20 World Cup victory in 2007.
