After a gap of 14 months, the Indian captain Rohit Sharma is set to return to the T20Is for India. The Men in Blue are scheduled to face Afghanistan in the opening match of the three-game series on Thursday, January 11, at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. However, the star Indian batter Virat Kohli will be absent from the game due to personal reasons.
With Virat Kohli not available, the responsibility of leading the relatively inexperienced batting lineup falls on the Indian skipper. This situation arises as India strives to conclude their preparations for the T20 World Cup 2024. Unfortunately for Rohit Sharma, the commencement of his comeback faced a setback, as the chartered flight to Mohali got delayed.
After being late to reach the hotel due to the delay in his chartered flight, the Indian captain opted to head directly to the IS Bindra Stadium from Chandigarh airport. Rather than checking into the hotel, Rohit Sharma participated in the practice session. During this time, the 36-year-old engaged in stretching exercises, conducted a pitch inspection with head coach Rahul Dravid, faced some throwdowns, and interacted with the younger members of the squad.
Rohit Sharma played his last T20I match against England in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022, where India faced a disappointing ten-wicket loss to English country. The cricketer had a challenging tournament with the bat and he managed to get only 116 runs across six innings at an average of 19.33 and a strike rate of 106.42.
