"Logon ka kaam hai kehna": Yuvraj Singh reacts to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returning to T20I setup after a long gap
Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has commented on the return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to the Indian team's T20I setup following a gap of 14 months. The 2011 World Cup winner believes that the simple justification behind their absence for a long time from T20I cricket is that they are all-format players.
Kohli and Rohit were the big names returning to the T20I squad ahead of the three-game series against Afghanistan, with the announcement drawing mixed reactions.
The star duo hadn't played in the format since the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final against England and invested themselves in the other two formats. With yet another T20 World Cup looming, the BCCI decided to bring them back.
When asked about Virat and Rohit's long absence from the shortest format, Yuvraj explained it by quoting the famous lyrics of a Kishore Kumar song. He also underlined that Rohit is a brilliant captain as his IPL and India records suggest. As quoted by PTI, the 42-year-old said:
"Kuchh toh log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kehna. It's because they play all the three formats, they are back after 14 months. You have to manage your workload if you play the three formats.
"It's a question for the selectors. I can say Rohit has been a great captain, he's got five IPL trophies, he took us to the (World Cup) final. He has been one of our great captains of IPL and India. We have to manage his workload."
Nevertheless, Rohit Sharma's return to T20I cricket ended in a damp squib as he was run-out for a duck on the 2nd ball of India's innings after a horrible mix-up with Shubman Gill. However, India won the 1st T20I against Afghanistan comfortably.
"Rohit has always been very instrumental in getting the best out of Hardik" - Yuvraj Singh
Hardik Pandya replaced Rohit Sharma as the Mumbai Indians' captain ahead of IPL 2024. Yuvraj weighed in on the potential ego issues and said that the two will put everything aside and give their best for India.
"Rohit has always been very instrumental in getting the best out of Hardik whenever he has played for Mumbai Indians, especially in terms of his bowling to manage his workload. Hardik has always been always good with the bat at death.
"Batting at 4 for Gujarat, he batted like a batter. They should definitely talk about it. I don't see an issue there. Whenever you are playing for your country, your priority is to put everything aside and give your 100 percent in the park. They both are professionals, if they have any issue they will put it aside and give 100 percent for the country."
Hardik Pandya is currently nursing an injury but is expected to be fit in time for IPL 2024.