"How will you ask Rohit Sharma to go somewhere else?" - Aakash Chopra expects Rohit to captain India in the 2024 T20 World Cup
Aakash Chopra expects Rohit Sharma to captain India in next year's T20 World Cup after the entire coaching staff, including head coach Rahul Dravid, were given a contract extension.
Rohit and Dravid were at the helm at last year's T20 World Cup, where the Men in Blue were knocked out in the semifinals. However, the duo led the hosts to 10 consecutive wins in the recently concluded ODI World Cup, although they fell short at the final hurdle against Australia.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that Dravid's contract extension implies that Rohit will skipper India at the 2024 T20 World Cup. He said (4:40):
"He (Rohit) might go as the captain and I feel he will go now. When you have kept Rahul based on continuity, how will you ask Rohit Sharma to go somewhere else? According to me, Rohit is going to be the captain in the T20 World Cup as well."
While expecting Rohit to be among the runs in IPL 2024, the former India opener reckons Virat Kohli will be India's No. 3 batter at the T20 World Cup. He stated:
"If he is in slightly good form in the IPL, which I feel will be the case this time, he will play with a little freedom, Rohit Sharma will be our captain. You will see Virat Kohli only playing at No. 3."
Rohit was at his aggressive best in the 2023 ODI World Cup, smashing 597 runs in 11 innings at an excellent strike rate of 125.94. On the flip side, he didn't have a great run in IPL 2023, aggregating 332 runs in 16 innings at an underwhelming average of 20.75, and will want to give a better account of himself this time around.
"You might see a different opening partner for Rohit Sharma" - Aakash Chopra
![KL Rahul (left) was Rohit Sharma's opening partner in the 2022 T20 World Cup. [P/C: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/11/48d36-17013183393872-1920.jpg?w=500)
However, Aakash Chopra feels Rohit Sharma might not have KL Rahul as his opening partner in the 2024 T20 World Cup. He said:
"You might see a different opening partner for Rohit Sharma, but I don't who that will be. Your core is not going to change. You will see an almost identical squad that played in the 2022 T20 World Cup. It will play in 2024 as well."
The cricketer-turned-commentator believes the selectors will stick with the seniors because of impressive results in the Asia Cup and the World Cup. He elaborated:
"How they will play is a big issue but I don't think a lot of things are going to change because the indications are in front of us that they don't want to change. That is the recency bias. You played a good World Cup and Asia Cup."
Chopra added that the thinking might have been different if the same question had been asked after the 2022 T20 World Cup.