Virat, Rohit to get top billing despite T20I retirement

Ever since the A+ category has been added to Indian cricket's annual contract for men, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah have enjoyed the pride of place.

- Rasesh Mandani

MUMBAI:

The three leading stars are expected to keep their place in the 2024-25 contract list, HT learns, despite Virat and Rohit's T20I retirement following India's 2024 World Cup win.

That's because of a quirk in BCCI functioning where contracts are announced following a review.

The last retainer declared by the BCCI for 2023-24 also saw all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja added to the top-most category. He, too, is expected to keep his place even though the senior spinner joined Virat and Rohit in ending his T20I career.

When the national selectors firm up the new contract list in the coming days, they will be looking at performances between October 2023-September 2024. This period saw some of India's finest performances in white-ball cricket with the runners-up finish in the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 title triumph. All the leading performers in these tournaments and from the home Test win against England will be rewarded.