The inclusions of Kohli and Rohit saw a lot of debate, with many veterans and experts questioning if it was a progressive step.
The long-awaited return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to the T20I fold, just five months before the World Cup in the USA and the West Indie, has drawn mixed results. While few have backed the call made by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee earlier this month, most have questioned the decision given the criticism the veteran players had faced after India’s semifinal exit in the 2022 T20 World Cup. However, India legend Yuvraj Singh responded to these critics in style, as he channelled his inner Kishore Kumar.
For the first time in 14 months, since that semifinal game in Adelaide in the 2022 T20 World Cup, Kohli and Rohit have been named in a T20I squad for India. While Rohit marked his comeback in the series opener against Afghanistan earlier this week in Mohali, Kohli, who missed the tie due to his daughter’s birthday, is back for the second game in Indore.
However, the inclusion was greeted with a lot of debate, with many veterans and experts questioning if it was a progressive step after India invested in young talent over the last year.
Yuvraj seemed rather unimpressed with all the talk around the movie, and he expressed it using the words of an iconic Hindi song from the movie Amar Prem: “Kuchh toh log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kehna.”
The two-time World Cup winner then explained the reason behind the two being out of the format for more than a year. He said: “It’s because they play all the three formats, they are back after 14 months. You have to manage your workload if you play the three formats. It’s a question for the selectors.”
Yuvraj, speaking to the media at an event in Kolkata, also backed Rohit as the captain for the upcoming T20 World Cup, even as there remains a discussion on whether Hardik Pandya should be handed over the responsibility. The discussions were rife when Rohit was absent from the format and there were doubts over his intention to return to T20Is with the World Cup in sight.
“I can say Rohit has been a great captain he’s got five IPL trophies, he took us to the (World Cup) final. He has been one of our great captains of IPL and India. We have to manage his workload,” Yuvraj said. “I don’t know what’s the situation with Hardik’s fitness at the moment. That is selectors’ call.”