Former England cricketer Monty Panesar made a bold prediction as he did not hold back any punches in his statement that could ruffle a few feathers. The statement comes after India’s shocking defeat of 10 wickets against England in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022. Panesar opined that India did not put up a fight at all in the second half and predicted retirements from players who are over the hill for the T20 format. Not only did he bring up the issue of retirement, but he also urged the incumbent Indian captain Rohit Sharma along with Ravichandran Ashwin and Dinesh Karthik to budge up and make way for the younger players in the team.
"India disappointed everyone (with the way they lost in the semi-final), and I think there are some retirements coming up," Panesar told Times of India. "Let's be honest. India didn't put up a fight in the semis.
"It was a completely one-sided affair. Indian bowling looked clueless in front of Buttler and Hales. You are playing the semis and you need to give a solid fight; 168 is not a small score."
"Rohit, Dinesh Karthik and R Ashwin are the top names who could say goodbye to T20I cricket. The team management will surely have a meeting with these guys and will ask them about their plans... It is time these players make way for young players."
However, this opinion changes explicitly for Virat Kohli who is a pioneer of fitness in the Indian team. Panesar strongly believes Kohli, who is 34, has another T20 World Cup in him to be played which will be staged in the West Indies and US in 2024. Not to mention, Kohli finished as the highest run-getter of the 2022 T20 World Cup (296) with four fifties.
"Virat is in great form. He is the fittest among all the Indian players. Age is just a number for Virat considering his super fitness. You may see him in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
"I am not seeing Rohit being part of that tournament, DK and Ashwin too (may not be there). There could be more players (considering T20I retirement), but these three, I think, will leave T20Is and focus on Tests and ODIs," Panesar added.
