T20 World Cup: Change of guard?

India's T20 cupboard is overflowing with talent. Unless Kohli and Sharma have an excellent IPL, it may be time to move on

- Sumit Chakraberty

After a hiatus of a year and two months since the 2022 T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returned to India's T20 side for the ongoing series against Afghanistan. Clearly, the coach and selectors want them in the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in June, scheduled to be co-hosted by the West Indies and the US.

The question is whether that gives India the best chance to win the title that has eluded them since the inaugural one in 2007. It may seem preposterous to think of dropping the two icons, but it wouldn't be the first time that seniors have made way for the young guns in this slam-bang format of cricket.

Come to think of it, none of India's "Fab Four" of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman featured in India's World Cup-winning T20 side in 2007. They opted out, ostensibly to conserve their energies for the longer formats of the game, little knowing that T20s would storm the world of cricket.

Fortuitously, it opened the door for 26-year-old MS Dhoni to lead the side and 20-year-old Rohit Sharma to show his strike power. That they brought home the trophy was proof of the pudding.

While it was a shot in the dark in 2007, with the seniors staying away, now in 2024 it can be a move informed by evidence. The Indian Premier League (IPL) season preceding this year's World Cup will showcase the country's T20 talent. If performance takes precedence over reputation and past glories, the young guns could challenge Kohli and Sharma for their places in the T20 World Cup squad.