Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Parthiv Patel reckons the selectors will pick the experienced duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup squad. Both the veterans recently made the much-anticipated return to the T20I format in the T20I series against Afghanistan.
While Rohit could not trouble the scorers in the first two matches, Kohli scored an attacking cameo of 16-ball 29 in the second game after missing the first match due to personal reasons.
Meanwhile, Kohli has scored 4037 runs in 116 T20I matches at an average of 52.43, Rohit has amassed 3853 runs in 150 matches at an average of 29.58.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli batted at their absolute best in the ODI World Cup 2023. Rohit scored 597 runs in 11 matches of the World Cup 2023 at an average of 54.27 and a blistering strike rate of 125.95. The talisman scored three fifties and one century in the ODI showpiece.
On the other hand, Virat Kohli finished the tournament as the highest run-getter with 765 runs in 11 matches at an average of 95.62 and a strike rate of 90.32. Ergo, he was awarded Player of the tournament for his consistent performances.
“I don’t see this series as a selection series for the World Cup. I don’t think any player performing or not will impact their chances of World Cup selection, specially when you are talking about Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli. Once you have picked them for the series, it means they are going for the World Cup,” Parthiv Patel said while talking to JioCinema.
On the other hand, former Indian selector Saba Karim wants India to bat first if they win the toss in the third game against Afghanistan.
“I hope they do that in Bengaluru. Not only to put the bowlers under scanner but also to check the depth of your batting. Players like Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, who come down the order, may get a look in. Then you can understand if you want to play three seamers or spinners in the playing XI, once Hardik Pandya comes in,” Karim said.
The third and last T20I of the series between India and Afghanistan will be played at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Wednesday.
