‘Rohit Sharma is good enough to be a part of the Indian T20I team’: Big comment from MS Dhoni’s former teammate

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batsman Subramaniam Badrinath praised Rohit Sharma ahead of the much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The cricketer turned commentator said that the 38-year-old batsman is good enough to represent the India national cricket team in T20I matches.

Rohit Sharma retired from T20I after leading the Indian cricket team to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 title. Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise management appointed Hardik Pandya as its captain in place of Rohit Sharma ahead of IPL 2024. Hardik led the team to Qualifier 2 in 2025 after finishing bottom in the 2024 edition.

Rohit Sharma is still good enough for India’s T20I team – Subramaniam Badrinath

During IPL 2025, Rohit Sharma scored 418 runs in 15 matches for Mumbai Indians. Now, the experienced Indian opener is ready to open with Quinton de Kock. Mumbai Indians acquired the South African wicketkeeper at a cheap price of ₹1 crore in the recent auction.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Subramaniam Badrinath said that rival franchises allowed Mumbai Indians to acquire De Kock so cheaply. He said that this opening partnership can intimidate the opposition bowling attacks in the tournament.

Badrinath said, “He is still good enough to be a part of the Indian T20I team. His opening partnership with Quinton de Kock is scary. How did other owners allow MI to buy de Kock? This is an amazing buy for MI.”

I will keep Tilak Verma at number 3 – Subramaniam Badrinath rules out Suryakumar Yadav

Subramaniam Badrinath talked about the batting order of Mumbai Indians. Despite the young batsman’s success lower down the order for the Indian team in recent times, Badrinath urged the franchise management to play Tilak Verma at number three.

Badrinath advised MI not to make drastic changes to their core middle order consisting of Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya. He said that promoting Suryakumar Yadav at number three will create uncertainty about number four.

“Tilak did very well for India at No. 5 and 6 in the T20 World Cup. But if he continues there, who will come in at No. 3 for MI? That probably means Suryakumar Yadav will have to bat at No. 3, which leaves a question mark for No. 4. So I would keep Tilak Verma at No. 3. Lower down the order, MI have Hardik Pandya, Naman Dheer, Sherfane Rutherford and Will Jacks. There are lots of options.”

Indian team made Tilak Verma bat lower in the order – Subramaniam Badrinath

Tilak Verma continued to move up and down the Mumbai Indians batting order during the last season. Subramaniam Badrinath called for continuity from the Mumbai Indians coaching staff and suggested a stable batting line-up consisting of Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya.

“The Indian team asked Tilak Verma to bat lower down the order due to the absence of Rinku Singh. But for MI, I will keep Tilak at 3, Surya at 4 and Hardik at 6. And I will not disturb this order.”

Mumbai Indians will start their IPL 2026 campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The opening encounter will take place on March 29 in Mumbai, where Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock will look to build a strong opening partnership.

Also Read: Pat Cummins joins SRH ahead of IPL 2026, but Ishan Kishan to remain captain