If Rohit, Kohli are keen on T20WC, they should play right away': Prasad ahead of IND squad announcement for AFG T20Is
Kohli and Rohit have been out of T20I action since November 2022, when India suffered a semifinal exit in the World Cup match against England in Australia.
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee of the BCCI are all set to announce the squad for the three-match Afghanistan series on Sunday. The one question that has remained the cynosure in the build-up to the big revelation of India's final T20I assignment before the World Cup in June is whether Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be back in the format after a break of more than 13 months.
Kohli and Rohit have been out of T20I action since November 2022, when India suffered a semifinal exit in the World Cup match against England in Australia. With the following year being an ODI World Cup, the two focussed on the 50-over format with appearances in the Tests for the ongoing WTC cycle.
They were expected to return to T20Is post the ODI World Cup, with India having their fixtures against Australia and South Africa, but they missed both the contests as well, sparking discussions on whether they would at all be part of the World Cup in June, slated to be co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies.
ALSO READ: AB de Villiers makes 'stock-standard' comment on Cape Town pitch after Rohit Sharma blasts ICC over double standards
If reports are believed to be accurate, Kohli and Rohit have both agreed to be part of the ICC event in 2024, where India have been clubbed with Pakistan, Ireland, USA and Canada in Group A. And former India chief selector MSK Prasad feels that if that is indeed true then likes of Agarkar and his committee should straight away pick them for the series against Afghanistan.
"I would definitely want our main players playing in this series. Not to forget that Afghanistan are a very competitive side. Kohli and Rohit were given a bit of break before the South Africa, which was needed after a mega event like the ODI World Cup, and India did reasonably well with the youngsters then. In my opinion, they are going to play the T20 World Cup so they should start playing right away from this series. And also, since they have declared themselves completely available for the tournament why not start now. I don't think selectors will think otherwise," he said on Star Sports.
The three-match series will be played between January 11 and 17 with matches in Mohali, Indore and Bengaluru, respectively.
