Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma ended their T20I careers shortly after India won the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados.
Indian cricket fans experienced a bittersweet moment as the Men in Blue became global champions after 13 years. First, Virat Kohli declared his departure from T20 International cricket. Then it was Rohit Sharma, the skipper. Following that, Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20I cricket.
There has been conjecture that the older players of the squad will now concentrate completely on red-ball cricket. But, these three players remain dedicated to representing their country in the ODI and Test formats.
While accepting that Indian cricket is in a transitional period, BCCI secretary Jay Shah intimated that Kohli and Rohit will be part of the Indian team in the Champions Trophy 2025.
Kohli and Rohit: Leading India to ICC Tournaments
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The Champions Trophy, the ICC’s one-day international event, will be staged in Pakistan from February to March 2025, while the World Test Championship final will be placed at Lord’s in June 2025. India now leads the Test standings with 68.52% of the total points.
“The transition has already happened with three greats retiring,” Shah told reporters, alluding to Ravindra Jadeja, Kohli, and Rohit, all of whom ended their T20I careers.
“With the way this squad is going, we want to win the World Test Championship final and the Champions Trophy. A comparable squad will play there. The seniors will be there.”
Hardik Pandya, after Kohli and Rohit, is the leading candidate to head the Indian cricket squad in the T20I format. The all-rounder, who previously led the Gujarat Titans to the Indian Premier League victory, captained the Indian team in T20Is in 2023.
When questioned about Hardik Pandya succeeding Rohit Sharma as India’s next T20I captain, Shah stated that the selectors will make the choice.
“The selectors will choose captaincy, and we will announce it after consulting with them. You inquired about Hardik; there were many concerns about his form, but the selectors believed in him and he proved himself,” Shah added.
Jadeja, Kohli and Rohit’s Roles and Future Plans
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Jadeja, Kohli, and Rohit have yet to call it a day in ODI and Test cricket. Furthermore, Shah’s statements to the media stated that the trio, who have retired from T20I cricket, will be included in the Champions Trophy preparations.
Speaking to select reporters in Bridgetown, Shah praised the senior players’ contributions to the team’s T20 World Cup victory. Regarding the retiring trio’s involvement in the upcoming ICC tournament, Shah suggested that seniors will be involved in ODIs and Tests.
According to Shah’s statements, veteran players such as Jadeja, Kohli, and Rohit are expected to be available for India’s nine ODI matches before the Champions Trophy, which will be held in Pakistan in February and March.
India’s ODI schedule before the tournament in Pakistan includes three matches against Sri Lanka (away), New Zealand (home), and England (home). So, assuming the trio is part of the overall scheme, they are expected to be part of India’s Champions Trophy squad in 2025.
According to Shah, just three players of India’s T20 World Cup winner squad will travel to Zimbabwe. Interestingly, two of the three members, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, and Sanju Samson, never got the opportunity to play for India in the World Cup.
“I want India to win every crown. We have the most bench strength, with only three players from this team traveling to Zimbabwe. “We can field three teams if necessary,” Shah remarked.
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