Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli finished their T20 careers with a big win as India won the T20 World Cup 2024 by beating South Africa in the final match. Rohit showed great leadership by making important scores throughout the tournament, and Kohli played his best game in the final, scoring a tough half-century. After the victory, both players announced they were retiring from T20 matches, leaving a lasting legacy in Indian cricket history. Just a year ago, there were questions about whether these two top players would continue in this fast-paced version of the game. But a report suggests that early decisions about Virat and Rohit’s roles in the team helped India achieve great success in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The Indian Express reported that the BCCI selectors chose to keep Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli on the team for the T20 World Cup, even though some experts and fans had doubts about their selection.
After the 2023 ODI World Cup, both Virat and Rohit took a break from playing in several T20 series, during which Hardik Pandya became the captain. There were discussions about Hardik possibly staying as the permanent captain. But, chief selector Ajith Agarkar decided to talk with Rohit Sharma about the situation.
“Rohit immediately agreed. He thought he could try one more time in the T20 format. Rohit believed that with his current batting form, he could play for one more season,” a BCCI official told The Indian Express.
A similar conversation happened with Virat, who was the highest run-scorer in the IPL 2024. Since there weren’t many top-order batters in good form, the star batter also agreed to play in the World Cup.
Around this time, Hardik confirmed that he would be bowling in the T20 World Cup 2024 after recovering from his injury. “With these three key players ready, the situation was clear. Now we needed to make a plan,” said a selector.
