Rohit Sharma’s T20I future and other key talking points ahead of India squad announcement for South Africa tour

Rohit Sharma’s future in T20I cricket is the key talking point ahead of the Indian selectors announcing the squads for the tour of South Africa. The Men in Blue are set to play three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests in the African nation from December 10 to January 7. The squads for the same are likely to be named on Thursday, November 30.

Rohit has not played any T20I for India since the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final against England in Adelaide, which the Men in Blue lost by 10 wickets. As per reports, the opener is unwilling to play the T20I format any longer.

In Rohit’s absence from the T20I squad, all-rounder Hardik Pandya led the side on a number of occasions. Although no official announcement was made over Rohit’s replacement as T20I captain, the writing seemed to be on the wall. Things have, however, changed drastically post the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Although India lost the final to Australia, Rohit won plenty of plaudits for the manner in which he led the side in the field and with the willow as well, taking up the responsibility of getting the team off to flying starts. During the course of the World Cup, Pandya twisted his ankle and was ruled out after the league game against Bangladesh.

With the next T20 World Cup in the United States and the West Indies just a few months away (June 2024), many critics believe that Rohit is the right man to lead Team India in the ICC event. As per reports, the BCCI also has similar thoughts and is hopeful of convincing the Hitman to return to the T20I fold ahead of the mega tournament.

Suryakumar Yadav has done a good job as leader in the ongoing T20I series against Australia. However, the fact remains that the Aussies are not at full strength in the series. Also, five matches are too small a sample size to make a conclusion on captaincy skills.

Regarding the T20I leadership scenario, news agency PTI quoted a source as saying:

"Yes, there remains a question what happens when Hardik comes back but in BCCI, they feel that if Rohit agrees to lead in T20Is, he will lead in the T20 World Cup. In case Rohit doesn't agree then Suryakumar continues as captain for T20Is in South Africa.”

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Will Rahul Dravid’s tenure as coach being extended have a say in Rohit’s decision?

Rohit Sharma (left) with Mohammed Siraj (Pic: AP)

In a significant development, Rahul Dravid’s tenure as coach has been extended. His contract with the men’s cricket team ended following the conclusion of the 2023 World Cup. The BCCI, on Wednesday, November 29, confirmed that the tenure of Dravid and the coaching staff had been extended.

According to a report in Cricbuzz, Dravid’s tenure as head coach will be reviewed following the 2024 T20 World Cup. As a captain-coach combo, Rohit-Dravid have done a terrific job even though the ICC trophy has continued to elude India.

Working with a new captain in the T20I format will mean starting from scratch all over again for the coach. Unfortunately for India, there is not much time left for experiments as far as the 2024 T20 World Cup is concerned.

This could be one of the prime reasons why the selectors would be keen for Rohit to lead the side in the T20 World Cup.

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What about Virat Kohli’s T20I future?

Virat Kohli will reportedly skip the white ball leg of the South Africa tour. (Pic: AP)

Like Rohit, Virat Kohli has also not played any T20I for India since the T20 World Cup semi-final against England in 2022.

According to a report in the Indian Express, the 35-year-old has sought a break for the T20Is and ODIs in South Africa but will be available for the Test matches.

The report quoted a source as saying:

“He (Kohli) has informed the BCCI and selectors that he needs a break from white-ball cricket and he will get back to them about when he wants to play white ball cricket next. At the moment he has informed the BCCI that he will be playing red-ball cricket, which means he is available for selection for the two Test matches in South Africa.”

Like in the case of Rohit, a lot of cricket pundits believe that Kohli too should play in the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States. The seasoned right-handed batter was the leading run-getter in the 2023 ODI World Cup, with 765 runs in 11 matches at an average of 95.62 and a strike rate of 90.32.

With neither Rohit nor Kohli opening up about their T20I future officially, the suspense game is likely to continue.

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Does Ajinkya Rahane have an outside chance of making the Test squad?

Ajinkya Rahane batting during the WTC 2023 final. (Pic: Getty Images)

With KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer set to return to the Test squad after their respective injury lay-offs, veteran Ajinkya Rahane might get the axe. Following his surprise return for the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, he impressed with 89 and 46. However, it was followed up by a poor tour of the West Indies.

Cheteshwar Pujara is also unlikely to make a return to the red-ball squad. The 35-year-old was dropped from the Test squad after the WTC final following a string of poor scores.

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Will India rest any of their pacers?

Jasprit Bumrah made a comeback from injury earlier this year. (Pic: AP)

In an interaction with the media following the ODI World Cup, India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey admitted that workload management of bowlers would be crucial keeping the hectic international schedule in mind.

As of now Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj are fit. But will the selectors rest them for any of the formats? Also, what happens with all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who seems to have gone off the boil?

If we look at the spin department for Test matches in particular, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin should make the cut. It could be a close tussle between Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav for the third spinner’s slot.