The former Indian selector has found the T20I retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma surprising, while they have continued to play in the format in the IPL. Sandeep Patil said this amid recent injury struggles and unavailability of batsmen for India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
India have revealed that several of their players are suffering from health concerns or are injured to some extent. Therefore, they cannot be sure that every player will be available to be selected at the time of need. Jasprit Bumrah could not play the first game due to illness and Abhishek is also likely to be out of the second match for the same reason.
Amid such calls, former Indian selector Sandeep Patil has called out the legendary duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who voluntarily stepped down from the shortest format after leading India to victory in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup.
Sandeep Patil surprised by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s T20I retirement
Former Indian selector Sandeep Patil expressed his surprise at the legendary Indian duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli calling time on their international T20 careers after the 2024 T20 World Cup despite playing IPL for their respective franchises.
When the Indian team won the T20 World Cup in the United States and the Caribbean, Rohit Sharma was its captain and was also their leading run-scorer in the tournament. However, Virat Kohli became the player of the match in the final for his brilliant effort with the bat.
Speaking to Mid Day, Sandeep Patil questioned the motives behind his absence for India even while he is in the IPL. “It’s a puzzle to me. Two greats, two legends, have retired from the T20 format, but they are available to play the Indian Premier League (IPL). I don’t understand… They could have played T20 cricket for India and been involved in the IPL. That would be something we would all accept.”
Sandeep Patil said, “He is not getting a place in this team.”
After talking about the two great players, he turned his attention to Indian cricket’s rising superstar Shubman Gill. Gill, who was made the favorite to take over the captaincy from Suryakumar Yadav after this World Cup ends, has not been able to make the final T20 World Cup squad for the last two editions.
After being appointed vice-captain and given support for 15 matches, where he could not score more than 291 runs with a strike rate of 137.26, Shubman Gill was dropped from India’s T20 squad.
“I feel sad for Gill, but he didn’t get a place in this team. Who are you going to leave out? When discussing selection, we only talk about players, but we should also look at the combinations,” said Patil, who also had the same thoughts on Shubman Gill’s exclusion (via the above source).
Sanju Samson likely to play against Namibia after Abhishek Sharma’s unavailability
Abhishek Sharma has been a consistent player for India in the shortest format of the game since his debut. The player is also performing well without any failure. He performed well in the Asia Cup and bilateral matches against Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
India have to play their upcoming match against Namibia and Abhishek Sharma is doubtful as he has just been discharged from the hospital after being admitted due to a stomach infection.
If he does not make the playing XI, India will have Sanju Samson as possible options, who was out of touch during his recent stint for India against New Zealand, and Washington Sundar, who is returning from injury. Samson seems to have the upper hand over all-rounder Sundar in the top order.
Also read: After Steve Smith, Joe Root selected for T20 World Cup 2026
