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Former South African cricketer and batting legend AB de Villiers has expressed his opinion on the potential participation of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup 2024.
T20 World Cup 2024 Format and Hosts
The upcoming tournament is set to adopt a hybrid model, featuring 20 participating nations. Hosted by the West Indies and the United States of America (USA), this edition marks a significant expansion in the number of teams compared to previous tournaments.
Decision-Making Authority Given to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
Reports indicate that the Indian cricket board has left the decision to play the T20 format to current captain Rohit and former captain Kohli, following the team’s disappointment in the ODI World Cup 2023 finals against Australia. Both Rohit and Kohli have not featured in any T20 matches for India since their defeat to England in the T20 World Cup semifinal last year. However, their performances in the CWC 2023 have sparked discussions about their potential return to the Indian T20I team.
AB de Villiers’ take on Kohli and Sharma’s chances in T20 World Cup 2024
Speaking on his YouTube channel, de Villiers expressed his belief that veteran Indian batters Rohit and Kohli should be included in the Men in Blue squad for the upcoming T20I mega event.
“It is just one year away (T20 World Cup) so I don’t see any reason why they (Rohit and Virat) shouldn’t be there. You need experience in World Cups and I don’t think you get any better experience than the two of them. Rohit batted very well at the top of the order in the World Cup and that’s exactly what you want in T20 cricket. Virat is the glue of that middle order,” De Villiers was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda.
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De Villiers’ empathy and comparison
De Villiers also acknowledged the challenges Rohit and Virat might be facing after losing the 2023 World Cup final, drawing from his own experience in the 2015 World Cup where South Africa suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the semifinals against New Zealand.
“I can understand how Rohit and Virat must be feeling after missing out on the World Cup. I have gone through that feeling when we lost the 2015 World Cup semifinal. I don’t even know whether I am over it now. It’s almost like you have taken a feel of a trophy but then it’s taken away from you. So yes, it is tough to recover quickly from that knock,” the 39-year-old concluded.
