From Virat Kohli To Ravindra Jadeja: Five High-Profile Players Who Might Not Play T20Is Again

It seems like the BCCI wants to play the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and United States of America with a younger bunch, with all-rounder Hardik Pandya as the captain. 

Let's have a look at five players who might not play T20Is again.

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Hardik Pandya will lead team India in a fourth successive T20 series when he takes the field for India vs West Indies five-match T20I series. Notably, many high-profile names have not found a place in the team. The next edition of T20 World Cup will take place in 2024 and Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee wants to try a younger bunch in the shortest format, having yet to win an ICC title since 2007.

Some senior players, who are regulars in India's Test and ODI teams, have been rested for IND vs WI T20Is and there's a general speculation that the decision was taken keeping in mind the 2023 ODI World Cup later this year.

The senior players who have been rested for IND vs WI T20Is are the ones who weren't part of India's T20 team for their previous bilateral T20 international series, which was against Sri Lanka. It seems like the BCCI wants to play the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and United States of America with a younger bunch, with all-rounder Hardik Pandya as the captain. 

Let's have a look at five Indian players who might not play T20Is again

1. Rohit Sharma: The senior opener is still team India's all-format skipper but his back-to-back poor returns in IPL hasn't helped his case. Rohit, the most successful captain in IPL history, has struggled for runs in the shortest format. This IPL season, Rohit scored just 313 runs with an average of 24.08 and a strike rate of 134.91.

2. Virat Kohli: Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma haven't played a single T20I match for the national team since the T20 World Cup semi-final in 2022. Virat played one of his career's best T20 cricket in IPL 2023, scoring over 600 runs this season. However, it looks like the selection committee feels that with Kohli ageing, he might have to give up one format and it will have to be T20Is as India needs him more in ODIs and Tests.

3. Ravichandran Ashwin: Like Virat and Rohit, senior off-spinner Ashwin hasn't featured for team India in the shortest format since India's exit in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final against Australia. His form in the shortest format has been average and does not have age on his side. 

4. Mohammed Shami: Team India's senior pacer has been out of India's T20 team since the 2021 T20 World Cup, apart from a last-minute entry for T20 World Cup 2022 team. Between both the World Cups mentioned above, Shami didn't feature in a single T20 game for India and in all likelihood he won't get any recall unless there's a panic situation. Notably, Shami isn't part of India's tour of West Indies, across formats.

5. Ravindra Jadeja: With age catching up to Jadeja, he has become more injury prone and wasn't available for selection for any of India's last three T20I series. No doubt that Jadeja is in great form in the shortest format but just like Virat Kohli, team India needs him fit and available for longer formats, especially in the Tests. There's no doubt that Jadeja, one of the most lethal all-rounders in modern day cricket, is currently irreplaceable in India's Test team.