India’s ODI and Test skipper Rohit Sharma, who led the team to their second ICC T20 World Cup title last June, has been named captain of the ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year 2024. The team dominated by Indians also features star pacer Jasprit Bumrah and left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh, along with all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane backed long-time teammate Rohit Sharma’s “hunger for runs” as the current India Test and ODI captain prepares for a return to domestic cricket after low returns in his last eight Tests this season.
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar said he has a strong belief in Rohit Sharma having the autonomy to decide when he retires from international cricket, though he thinks the selectors could also have a say in it.
In 2023-24, the BCCI had stripped Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer of their annual contracts after the duo did not turn up for their respective state sides despite not being on national duty. While the move set a precedent for many, it may not be the same in the case of Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli — with both the veterans battling a prolonged lean patch in red-ball cricket.
Refuting speculations of retirement from the longest format, India skipper Rohit Sharma on Saturday cleared the air following his non-selection for the ongoing fifth and final Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test match in Sydney.
Rohit, who has been ruled out of the Edgbaston Test, starting on Friday, after testing Covid-19 positive, is expected to recover and be fit for the white ball series, beginning on July 7 in Southampton. So he has been named as the skipper for both T20I and ODI series.
The 35-year old Sharma tested positive on the second day of the warm-up match in Leicester last week and is currently serving the five-day isolation as recommended by the UK government.
India leads the five-match Test series 2-1, and a win or even a draw would help them seal the series, but a loss would be disastrous given the upcoming busy season and the crucial World Test Championship (WTC) points at stake.
Agarwal, 31, had initially been left out of India's squad for the Edgbaston Test named in May this year. But a right groin injury to K.L Rahul, which ruled him out of the home T20I series against South Africa in June and Sharma's availability in doubt due to testing positive for Covid-19 means that Agarwal is now on his way to Birmingham to join the Test squad.
The BCCI confirmed early Sunday morning that Rohit Sharma had tested positive for a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) on Saturday, and that the India captain was placed in isolation at the team hotel ahead of the Test.
