NEW DELHI: With only 36 days remaining until the
ICC
Men's
T20 World Cup
2024 commences, legendary former India cricketer
Yuvraj Singh
emphasized the significance of including
Rohit Sharma
and
Virat Kohli
in India's squad for this year's prestigious global event.
However, he also stressed that the star duo have earned the right to retire from the sport on their own terms, considering their extensive contributions to Indian cricket over the years.
Virat and Rohit are anticipated to be the top two picks for India's T20 World Cup squad. The duo had not featured in a T20I match for over a year following India's exit from the 2022 World Cup. However, they made their return to T20I cricket in January 2024 during a series against Afghanistan.
In an interview with the ICC before the competition, Yuvraj expressed that although Kohli and Rohit have the autonomy to decide their cricketing futures, personally, he would prefer if they concluded their T20I careers after the World Cup.
Yuvraj recommended that Rohit and Kohli contemplate retiring from T20I cricket following the conclusion of the T20 World Cup and focus on other formats of the game.
As the next generation is eager to demonstrate their mettle on the international stage, there are polarising views linked with the presence of Kohli and Sharma in the T20 team.
The former all-rounder believes India should focus on building a team for the future, implying that Kohli and Rohit should retire from consideration for T20I slots once the World Cup is over.
"As you get older people start talking about your age and they forget about your form. These guys have been great players for India and they deserve to go (retire) when they want," Yuvraj stated as quoted by ICC.
"I would like to see more younger players in the T20 format because it gets the load off them (experienced players) playing 50-over (ODIs) and Test matches. After this (T20) World Cup I would like to see a lot of younger guys come into the team and make the T20 side for the next World Cup," he added.
India will start their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland on June 5 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York.
(With ANI inputs)
English (US) ·