"India need experience of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in T20 World Cup 2024" - Suresh Raina

Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina gave his opinion on India's decision to bring back star names Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in their T20I setup ahead of the T20 World Cup to be played in the USA and the West Indies in June this year.

Raina believes it is a smart decision from the BCCI, underlining just how crucial the experience of the conditions there could be for the Men in Blue. He feels India will only benefit from the wealth of experience and quality that Rohit and Kohli bring to the table.

Here's what Suresh Raina was quoted as saying by PTI:

"If you look at the World Cup venues (in the USA and the West Indies), the wickets will be a bit tricky. India will need the experience of Rohit and Kohli there. Kohli is about to make 12000 runs in T20 cricket. So, their presence will boost India's batting."

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Virat Kohli should bat at No. 3: Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina feels Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal should open the batting for India in T20Is and Virat Kohli should take the No. 3 position. He opined that while there were several other talented youngsters around, Rohit and Kohli's quality could not be ignored.

On this, Raina stated:

"I think Kohli should bat at No. 3. His experience will bring in some solidity, especially in the challenging pitches in the US and the Caribbean. There are fearless, young cricketers like Jaiswal, Rinku Singh or Shubman Gill but Rohit and Kohli will give the unit a lot of solidity. Their presence is very important when we chase a target especially in a high-pressure event like the World Cup."

India will play three T20Is against Afghanistan beginning on January 11, with Rohit Sharma leading the side. Virat Kohli will be unavailable for the first T20I in Mohali due to personal reasons.