On the eve of their practice match against Bangladesh for the T20 World Cup 2024, former Indian captain Virat Kohli joined Rohit Sharma and the rest of the team. Kohli, who was rested for the warm-up game, saw his position at no.3 taken by Rishabh Pant for the match, which was won by India by 60 runs. Both Kohli and Rohit are looking to break India's 11-year-long drought of ICC trophy in the T20 World Cup 2024. There's speculation whether this T20 World Cup in 2024 might be the final opportunity for both Kohli and Rohit to compete together on this stage.
India's batting juggernaut Virat Kohli made his debut in Dambulla in 2008, while Rohit Sharma began his international career a year earlier. With the next T20 World Cup in 2026, this tournament could be their last shot at clinching an ICC trophy together in the T20 format. Discussing Kohli's future, India's World Cup winner Krishnamachari Srikkanth expressed his belief that T20 World Cup 2024 won't be Kohli's last dance, rather he will play the 2026 World Cup as well.
"Is this a last chance for them to win together as a team (with Rohit and Kohli), probably yes. Keep in mind, the 2026 T20 World Cup is in India. So everybody would like to play in India. As far as I am concerned, the kind of fitness Virat Kohli has, he can easily play until 2026. So 2026 could be Virat's last. For Virat Kohli, this is not the last chance. But he will be very keen because he has not won a T20 World Cup yet," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
Looking ahead to a possible leadership change, the ex-opener suggests Rohit Sharma channel his inner MS Dhoni at the T20 World Cup. Dhoni holds the record of being India's only captain to win a T20 World Cup title and the only one to claim three major ICC trophies in limited-overs cricket.
"Whereas Rohit Sharma has won it in 2007. He wanted the ODI World Cup very badly, but he missed it. He will now be looking at the T20 World Cup, thinking he should win it for India as a captain. As a captain, winning the World Cup is a big thing. That's why MS Dhoni is being spoken about so much. He has won all the major trophies. Rohit Sharma will be keen on winning for the team and for the country more than himself, that's what I am trying to say," Srikkanth added.
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