Indian team management is probably planning to bring a transition in Team India in the shortest format of the game. The selection committee has overlooked the senior players, including the likes of regular skipper Rohit Sharma and former skipper Virat Kohli once again from the T20I squad for the West Indies tour.
Although no one from these senior members has announced a retirement or break from T20I cricket, the management is not looking keen to keep them in the plans for the shortest format of the game. Notably, Rohit and Kohli are not a part of the T20I squad of India for the last four bilateral assignments.
This decision from the selectors has also come as a shock to a section of Indian cricket fans. They immediately took to Twitter and came up with contrasting reactions to the omission of Rohit and Kohli from the T20I squad.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma sacked🤣🤣... But Where is Ruturaj and Rinku Singh? https://t.co/QFKIy0h6jB
— Abhishek Roy (@AbhiroyTweets) July 5, 2023
Kitni bhi new team abhi bna lo. T20 world cup mein sab pahle wale hi players jayenge. Opening slot mein rohit , middle mein virat , all-rounder mein jaddu, bowling mein shami to fix hi hai.
— kundan chaurasiya (@its_kundan0) July 5, 2023
How can they Imagine team without rohit Sharma and virat kohli?
— प्रज्जवल😎 #SSR ❤️🇮🇳 (@MrPrajjvalViews) July 5, 2023
End of Viart Rohit Era 💔🥺 pic.twitter.com/79pGj0lvow
— Mounesh PSPK™ (@Mounesh_White) July 5, 2023
End of Rohit Era.
— UmEr (@Kashur_mamluk) July 5, 2023
I think Virat will definitely Play 2024 T20 world Cup
Bc bcci kisi player ko unke prime me uthati hi nhi hai 🤦🤦
— Sanu (@alter_ego201) July 5, 2023
India's fourth consecutive T20I squad without Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma after T20 World Cup 2022👀#ViratKohli #RohitSharma𓃵 #Threads #ViratKohli𓃵 #memur #Salaar pic.twitter.com/Q6WSbUEc4e
— Danyal Dhillon (@Danyaljnb07) July 6, 2023
Partner 😎#Rohirat #RohitSharma𓃵 #ViratKohli𓃵 pic.twitter.com/YVtpedBnqr
— Ashish Yadav (@yadav26755) July 6, 2023
Here's a look at the T20I squad of India against West Indies:
Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Surya Kumar Yadav (Vice-captain), Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya (Captain), Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar
Here’s a look at the schedule of the T20I series between India and West Indies:
First T20I – 3rd of August, Thursday, Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad, 8.00 PM
Second T20I – 6th of August, Sunday, Providence Stadium, Guyana, 8.00 PM
Third T20I – 8th of August, Tuesday, Providence Stadium, Guyana, 8.00 PM
Fourth T20I – 12th of August, Saturday, CBR Park Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida, 8.00 PM
Fifth T20I – 13th of August, Sunday, CBR Park Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida, 8.00 PM
Notably, Indian Team will be playing the Test and ODI series under the captaincy of regular skipper Rohit Sharma before the start of the T20I assignment against the Caribbean side. The selectors had already announced the squad for the Tests and ODIs against the West Indies with some changes, including the drop of the senior Test specialist batter Cheteshwar Pujara, and the inclusion of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad in the Test squad.