'You cannot solely...' - Wasim Akrams shows mirror to Indian team management on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's presence in T20I

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are not a part of the Indian T20I squad for one year since the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2022; Hardik Pandya led the team in Rohit's absence.

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Mathew K
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Wasim Akram and Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (File Photo: Twitter)

Wasim Akram and Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (File Photo: Twitter)

Indian cricketing corridors are currently filled with discussions around the future of the senior stars, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the quickest format of the game i.e., T20I. This debate started just after the conclusion of the ODI World Cup 2023 as India headed to the ongoing five-match T20I series against Australia.

Meanwhile, the former legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram came up with a big statement on this debate. He stressed the importance of both Rohit and Kohli for India in the shortest format of the game. Akram also feels that it’s high time that India badly needed these two veterans.

“The T20 World Cup is just a few months away. I will pick both. They will be the main players for India, no doubt about it. You need a little bit of experience in T20. You cannot solely rely on young guys," said Wasim Akram to Sportskeeda.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli missing from T20Is for the last one year

Notably, the star all-rounder has led the Indian T20I team in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma. Apart from him, the selectors have also counted on the youngsters Tilak Varma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Rinku Singh to fill in the void created by the absence of Rohit and Kohli.

Other than Wasim Akram, the former Indian pacer and Gujarat Titans coach also spoke on the same concern; Nehra said that age is not something that should be used as a criterion to decide the future of two very key players.

Currently, the men in blue are in action in the five-match T20I series against Australia, in which they are leading the series by 1-0 with a 2-wicket win over Australia. As star all-rounder, Hardik Pandya is also unavailable due to injury concerns, the team is being led by the World No.1 T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav.

Now, India and Australia will take on each other in the second T20I of the five-match T20I series, at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.

Virat Kohli rohit sharma India vs Australia 2023