3 Indian batters who might not play a T20I after the 2022 T20 World Cup
The 2022 T20 World Cup is almost upon us, and Team India are knee-deep in their preparations for the tournament. Set to clash against Pakistan on Sunday, October 23 at the MCG, the Men in Blue have warm-up matches against Australia and New Zealand to get up to speed for the showpiece clash.
The T20I format has saturated the cricketing calendar since the pandemic, with the previous edition of the T20 World Cup having taken place just a year ago. The FTP released for the next few years features a lot of shortest-format matches too, but all teams might want to move towards a younger side in the lead-up to 2024.
The 2024 T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in the West Indies and the United States, will be a landmark tournament. However, India have several veterans who might consider stepping away from the sport following this year's tournament. Even if they don't, the selectors might want to make a few wholesale changes to a T20 team that has underperformed in big competitions thus far.
Here are three Indian batters who might not play a T20I after the 2022 T20 World Cup.
#3 Rohit Sharma
It might seem ludicrous to claim that Rohit Sharma might not play a T20I following this year's T20 World Cup, but serious questions need to be raised over his availability across formats.
Rohit has suffered a host of injuries in the recent past, with his fitness appearing to let him down on a number of occasions. More importantly, his performances in T20I cricket haven't exactly set the world on fire. With a focus on the 2023 ODI World Cup and the Test format, the 35-year-old might need to focus his energies on more important things.
As captain, Rohit remains a key component of the side. But will India want to have an aging, injury-prone skipper at the helm in 2024? Hardik Pandya headlines a list of capable captaincy alternatives, and it's not like India are short of dynamic openers who can fill in for the current leader.
#2 Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has often taken some time away from recent tours with an eye on managing his workload, and it isn't impossible to see him stepping away from one format in the near future.
Kohli loves Test cricket and is unlikely to walk away from ODIs, with the 2023 World Cup firmly on the horizon. So it wouldn't be a stretch to claim that he might be considering giving up T20I cricket, where he has firmly established himself as one of the format's greatest-ever players.
Also, is Kohli part of India's best shortest-format side? As one of the best batters in the world, as well as one of the fittest, he's one of the first names on the teamsheet as of now. But even earlier this year, there were serious question marks over his ability to play spin in the middle overs.
Several fans have already predicted that Kohli will retire from T20I cricket after this year's T20 World Cup, and while only the great man will know what his plans are, it wouldn't come as a surprise if he doesn't play a T20I following the ongoing tournament.
#1 Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik has achieved the impossible by making a comeback to the nation's T20I side.
But time doesn't wait for anyone, not even DK. He's 37 years old, and the selectors are unlikely to have him in their plans for the next two-year T20I cycle.
Karthik has been around right from the 2007 T20 World Cup, and it would be terribly sad to see him go. Indian fans will be hoping for the team to succeed in this year's competition and orchestrate a seamless transition to youth.