Pune: After India were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup held in Australia, questions were raised about the future of the team’s senior players. The names of captain Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli were discussed the most. Discussions in the cricket world were such that the possibility of both of them playing in Twenty20 was rare. Rohit and Kohli’s Twenty20 career was almost over after they were not included in the Twenty20 team against Sri Lanka.
Head coach Rahul Dravid has indicated that efforts have been initiated to build a young team for the Twenty20 World Cup 2024. Although Dravid did not mention the names of Rohit and Kohli, Dravid says, with the ODI World Cup being held in their homeland this year, that the focus of the senior players will now be on the ODI format.
“In the Twenty20 World Cup, only 3-4 players who played in the semi-final against England will play against Sri Lanka. The Indian team is now at the next stage in Twenty20. It is a great experience to see a relatively young team playing to Sri Lankan standards. The focus is more on the ODI World Cup and the World Test Championship. So there is an opportunity to test these young players in T20,” Dravid told reporters after the loss to Sri Lanka in the second Twenty20 in Pune.
Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Akshar Patel and Arshdeep Singh were the only players in the Indian XI who played against Sri Lanka. After the World Cup, Hardik Pandya is the captain of India in the Twenty20 series played against New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Although the selectors are yet to make an official announcement about making Hardik the permanent captain in Twenty20, it is likely that Hardik himself will remain captain in the subsequent series as well.
When asked about the performance of the Indian youth team, Dravid said that the team management, fans and others will have to wait patiently. “No one wants to bowl wides or balls. In this format it will hurt you a lot. We must be patient with these children. Children playing, especially bowling. Sometimes there are competitions like this. We must understand that. We support them and create the right environment. They are very talented, let them learn. So you have to be patient.” – said Dravid.
India lost the second Twenty20 against Sri Lanka by 16 runs. The series is tied at 1-1. The all-important Twenty20 final will be played in Rajkot on Saturday.
English Summary: Rahul Dravid hints at end of road for Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in T20Is
