The absence of regular captain Rohit Sharma, maverick batter Virat Kohli and stylish willow-wielder KL Rahul didn't make any difference as India continued their domination in the bilateral T20I series. Under Hardik Pandya's leadership, the Men in Blue trounced Sri Lanka by 91 runs in the third T20I and clinched the three-match series 2-1. India were expected to win the series despite the big guns not being a part of the squad. After the 2022 T20 World Cup debacle, there have been numerous reports claiming that for superstars like Rohit and Virat, this might be the end of the road in the shortest format of the game.
Ahead of the ODI series between India and Sri Lanka, Rohit shut down all speculations regarding his future for the Men in Blue in the shortest format of the game. Speaking to reporters in the pre-match conference on the eve of the first T20I against the Islanders, Hitman came up with an affirmative reply when quizzed about his T20I future.
"Firstly, it is not possible to play back-to-back matches. You need to give them (players who play all three formats) enough break. I definitely fall in that as well. We have three T20Is against New Zealand. We will see what happens after IPL. I have not decided to give up the format," the India captain said.
Commenting on Jasprit Bumrah's being ruled out of the series at the eleventh hour, the Indian skipper said, “Very unfortunate. The poor guy has been working really hard at the NCA. He felt stiffness in his back a couple of day ago and if Jasprit Bumrah is saying he is not feeling well, you have to pull him out. We need to be extra careful with Bumrah.”
