"Let's address the elephant in the room" - Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's selections for IND vs AFG T20Is

Aakash Chopra has highlighted that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's selection in India's squad for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan has answered the most debatable question.

The Men in Blue will face Afghanistan in three T20Is, with the first game to be played in Mohali on Thursday, January 11. The selectors named a 16-member Indian squad for the series on Sunday, with Rohit at the helm and Kohli also back in the mix.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that Rohit and Kohli wouldn't have been in the side had the selection been done soon after the last edition of the T20 World Cup. He said (2:55):

"Let's address the elephant in the room. Rohit is back as the captain. Interestingly enough, I could possibly give you in writing that if this team had been picked within six months of the 2022 T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli wouldn't have been there."

The former India opener noted that the two experienced players weren't even being considered for the shortest format for a considerable while. He elaborated:

"The sentiment at that time was very different. You didn't see either of them in the Indian XI for a year. It wasn't even a point of discussion. It's not that they were unavailable everywhere. They might have been available in some places but the selectors said they were looking in a different direction."

Chopra pointed out that India's slow top-order batting was believed to be one of the reasons for their exit from the 2022 T20 World Cup. He added that while virtually every other team batted very aggressively, India were slightly defensive, scoring around 36 runs in six overs and 60 in 10.

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"If he plays the World Cup, he will play as captain only" - Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma (left) led India to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup. [P/C: Getty]

Aakash Chopra expects Rohit Sharma to remain as India's captain for the 2024 T20 World Cup as well. He stated (4:30):

"After that, the ODI World Cup happened, where we saw Rohit batting destructively and Virat Kohli became the Player of the Tournament. So Rohit is there as the captain and I feel he will captain in the World Cup also. It was a landmark selection because if he plays the World Cup, he will play as captain only."

While virtually ruling out Hardik Pandya's chances of returning as India's skipper, the cricketer-turned-commentator opined that Virat Kohli will also be seen in action in the global event. He said:

"Don't think that Hardik (Pandya) will become the captain when he comes. I can almost give you in writing that it won't happen. It's decided that Virat Kohli will also be playing the T20 World Cup."

Chopra concluded by saying that Rohit and Kohli were in the same boat. He added that the selectors couldn't have picked one and left the other out.