5 Reasons Why India Need Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma At The T20 World Cup 2024
Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli makes a comeback into the T20I team (X.com)
India are the most dominant team in the cricket world in every aspect of the game. Their performances in the last 5-6 years have been nothing short of exemplary. Whether it's the longest format of the game or the shortest, Team India have managed to dominate every other team even in the toughest conditions.
The main reason behind India's success over the last decade is the pillars of the Indian team, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who have been nothing short of a force to the Indian team. On their day, they can win games for the country single-handedly. They are the top scorers in the world when it comes to the shortest format. As they have been included in the T20I side for the Afghanistan series after a year, OneCricket sheds light on the importance of having them in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Let's look at the five major reasons why India needs the services of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024.
Experience of Rohit & Kohli
Since the shortest format has been introduced to the game, Rohit Sharma has been a crucial member of India's T20 setup. On the other hand, a couple of years later, Virat also made it to the T20 team, and Rohit and Virat have been acing the format since then. They have featured in over 100 T20I games for the Indian team.
Considering the longevity of their T20I careers, India needs their services for the upcoming tournament, which will take place in the USA and West Indies. Also, the rumours surrounding BCCI might opt for a young team, just like the 2007 T20 World Cup, Rohit, and Virat's experience will come in handy for the team and the youngsters.
Truckload of runs under their belt
While both Rohit and Kohli have been a part of India's T20 setup for over a decade, they are the main reason for India's success in the shortest format. Both right-handed top-order batters have smashed a truckload of runs, and that too against fiery opponents.
In 115 T20I games, Virat Kohli has smashed over 4000 T20I runs and is the only player to have reached this particular milestone so far. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma, in 140 T20I innings, has notched up 3853 runs so far. If they both are in the middle, India will undoubtedly be able to post huge totals, considering their ability to shift gears, especially in T20 cricket.
Both of them have leadership qualities
The pillars of the Indian team, Rohit and Virat, both possess exceptional leadership skills and have led the Indian team for an ample amount of time. Even if Rohit Sharma gets stuck somewhere while leading the team, Virat will be there to share his experience with him, and they will get through anything.
The same used to happen when Virat was the leader, and now that Rohit is leading the team, we have seen their on-field discussions, whether it's about the DRS calls or any plans they create for the opposition batters. With a team including two leaders, India managed to win 10 games on the trot in the World Cup, and the story will be the same in the upcoming tournament.
Rohit's fearlessness and Kohli's anchoring role
In the recently concluded 2023 World Cup, Rohit Sharma played the role of an aggressor, amassing 597 runs in the tournament and giving India a flyer of starts in each of the games. His fiery starts at the top, eased things for the batters to come and they were quite successful using this same pattern, scoring loads of runs.
As things got easier for Virat Kohli and others, Virat played the role of an anchor impressively and batted long. Even if there's a collapse, Virat has managed to pull India out of the tricky situations, just the way he did against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2022.
The last T20 World Cup for the pair
Because India have an abundance of players, who have managed to express themselves at the international level, the T20 World Cup 2024 will probably be the last one for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to increase the longevity of their careers in the remaining two formats of the game.
They gave their all during the ODI World Cup and lost the final, and even though they both know that this might be the last T20 World Cup for them, they will do anything in their power to help India lift the trophy in the coming months.