Rashid Latif claims Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli need to return for T20Is
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli vs West Indies in 2019 (Twitter)
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been on a sabbatical from T20Is since India’s crashing exit from the 2022 World Cup in Australia back in November last year. The two cricketers skipped the subsequent tour to New Zealand, and also skipped the T20I segment of India’s home series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in January 2023.
With the team management focusing on youngsters for the shortest format, former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif feels that at least one of the two senior Indian batters should return to the side.
Sharma, Kohli can't be easily replaced: Latif
The former Pakistan cricketer recently praised Indian skipper and Kohli. He stated that the two batting legends cannot be easily replaced, even though there are players who might take their places in the future.
Latif cited Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan and Prithvi Shaw as stars of the future, but also questioned their credibility of taking India to a World Cup final. While talking on his YouTube channel, he said:
“You might get a replacement for KL Rahul but it won't be that easy to find replacements for seasoned players (like Kohli and Rohit). Yes, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan might take their places in the future. But these are similar players with similar experiences, playing at the same time. Can these players take you to the T20 World Cup final?”
The Pakistan legend expressed his reaction after India’s big defeat against New Zealand in the first T20I of their series. The Indian team, under interim captain Hardik Pandya, fell 21 runs short of their target to eventually concede the opening advantage to New Zealand.
 "Aakash Saini")
