The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 is set to begin in less than four months. And, ahead of the mega event in Australia later this year, teams are narrowing down their candidates who will likely compete in the multi-nation tournament. India, like every other country, is attempting to narrow the field of candidates and give more chances to those who are more likely to make the final 15. According to Ashish Nehra, all format players like Kohli and Rohit Sharma will play selective cricket moving forward.
Sourav Ganguly, the president of the BCCI, recently stated that the Indian team will play World Cup hopefuls in the future only to give them more game time and help them get into the swing of things. Because India has no shortage of talent, many players will be unable to make the final 15 despite performing admirably in the limited opportunities they have.
The BCCI secretary recently revealed that the Board intends to keep two separate teams, implying that India will be represented in two different locations at the same time. This was not the first time India had played two series at the same time. In 2021, the team of Virat Kohli faced England, while the ODI team of Shikhar Dhawan faced Sri Lanka.
It’s nothing new to have separate teams for different formats. England and Australia have benefited from this strategy. With the number of games increasing by the day, players are becoming overworked, and split teams may be the solution.
Ashish Nehra on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma playing selective cricket
Former cricketer Ashish Nehra believes this is the way forward, implying that ‘all-format’ players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be forced to play selective cricket in the near future. For the five-match T20I series, both of them were given rest.
“We are already seeing less and less of these all-format players. Even in India, how many players are there right now who play all three formats? And you named two: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma. Both are resting. And because of that so many players are getting an opportunity. But you will see this thing in the coming times,” Ashish Nehra said.
“With the amount of cricket that is happening, you have so many T20Is, World Cup in four years, T20 World Cup in two years. When all these will happen, you will have to increase the pool of players. And then you will have to be careful with whom you will back when some big tournament is coming. Like this is a five-match series, who would you back when the T20 World Cup is just around the corner. It is just impossible for someone to play three formats without taking a break,” he added.
