"Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's Return To Deny Youngsters?" Reporter Asks Yuvraj Singh. His Reply

14.01.2024 - 07:11 sports.ndtv.com

Ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup, it is now almost clear that the players' performance in the first half of the IPL will be crucial.

The Indian cricket team is currently engaged with Afghanistan in a T20I series. The return of two veterans - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli - has made things more interesting.

After the 2022 T20 World Cup, where India lost in the semi-final, there general notion was that India would bank on youth going forward in T20Is.

However, things are different now. There are speculations on the captaincy too. While Hardik Pandya was the favourite earlier, now Rohit Sharma is clearly in the fray.

cricket India Cricket Team Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Yuvraj Singh India Afghanistan

Virat Kohli has hardly ever set foot at the Bengaluru-based National Cricket Academy for any fitness-related rehabilitation work, said Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who wants aspiring cricketers to follow the ace batter's exemplary work-ethic. "Virat Kohli has never been to NCA in his entire career. I would say that all the younger players should look up to the passion that he has," Rohit told former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik on JioCinema. "Leave alone how he plays the cover drive, flick, cut but first things first you have to understand what is the quality of the players that makes him where he is today." Kohli has opted out of the first two Tests of the ongoing five-match series against England for "personal reasons".

Fan Invades Pitch Wearing Virat Kohli's Shirt, Touches Rohit Sharma's Feet During India vs England First Test

One of the most loved cricketers in India, Rohit Sharma arrived in the middle to bat with Yashasvi Jaiswal after the hosts bowled out England for 246 on Day 1 of the first Test in Hyderabad on Thursday. Rohit produced some fine shots with the bat, scoring 24 runs off 26 balls before getting caught by Ben Stokes on the 27th delivery on the bowling of Jack Leach. But, before departing, Rohit had a moment with a fan in the middle, who breached security to meet the India captain in the middle and touch his feet.

ICC ODI Team Of The Year: Rohit Sharma Named Captain, Virat Kohli Among 6 Indians Included

Rohit Sharma was on Tuesday named captain of the ICC ODI Team of the Year, which featured five other Indians including star batter Virat Kohli and the pace duo of Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj. The team mostly included the World Cup finalists -- India (runner-up) and Australia (winner) -- besides players from semi-finalists New Zealand and South Africa, the ICC said in a statement. The top order includes openers Rohit and Shubman Gill. While the Indian captain accumulated 1,255 runs at an average of 52 last year, the latter struck a brilliant 208 against the Kiwis and also finished as the highest run-scorer (1,584) in the format.

Not Rohit Sharma Or Virat Kohli! This Batter To Win BCCI's Cricketer Of The Year Award: Report

Former India all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri will be honoured with BCCI's Lifetime Achievement Award on Tuesday. Shubman Gill will be presented with Cricketer of the Year award following a memorable 12 months when he became the fastest to cross the 2000-run mark in ODIs and also scored five hundreds in the format. "He (Shastri) has been chosen for the honour while Gill will be awarded the cricketer of the year," said a BCCI official. The BCCI awards will be held for the first time since 2019 and both India and England teams are expected to be in attendance ahead of the first Test beginning on Thursday.

"Rohit Sharma Is Capable Of Doing It. Virat Kohli Should...": India Legend's Blunt Advice

Legendary Indian cricket team batter Kris Srikkanth believes Virat Kohli should stick to his natural game instead of adopting an aggressive approach from the very first ball. In the recently concluded T20I series against Afghanistan, fans and experts were surprised with the style of batting that Kohli displayed. After missing the first game due to personal reasons, Kohli slammed 29 off just 16 balls in the second game with couple of slog sweeps. However, in the next match, he scored the first golden duck of his T20I career after he was caught at mid-off after miscuing the very first ball.

Watch: On Virat Kohli's 'Best Fielder Award', Don't Miss Rohit Sharma's Reaction

India's star player Virat Kohli is a live wire on the field, be it during his batting or his fielding. Kohli's role as a fielder was extremely crucial during the side's third and final T20I against Afghanistan in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Among some really good fielding efforts from Kohli, one that stood apart was he stopping a six at long-on. During Afghanistan's chase of 213 runs, Karim Janat hit Washington Sundar's delivery hard down the ground. For a moment it seemed that the ball will sail over Kohli's head but the star player jumped near the edge of the fence, grabbed the ball and threw it inside before falling over the ropes. The heroic effort saw Kohli eventually saving five runs for his team.