The current Indian team, playing in the T20 World Cup in America and the West Indies, has some players who are in their last leg as far as T20 is concerned. I for one, do not see any scope for them beyond this World Cup. Leave alone beyond the World Cup, I would not have been bothered by them for the current World Cup itself. Scoring a ton of runs in the IPl is onething but scoring runs at the highest level is quite another. T20 is one format that must be planned with World Cup in mind. The bilateral T20 games do not matter at all. Atleast, bilateral ODIs matters but T20, I am afraid they do not. Now, is it the end fo seniors?
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jadeja are the ones for who this World Cup is likely to be their last T20 World Cup. The next one is atleast a couple of years away and by then, Kohli and Rohit would have passed their best in this format with Jadeja already becoming a liability. A couple of years ago, after the exit at the semi-final stage against England in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, the Indian selectors swung into action by dropping both Kohli and Rohit. Hardik Pandya became the captain with India looking to the future.
The predicament of the previous seniors
It was a good decision to drop both of them. It was time to plan for the next 10 years with the service of younger players. Afterall, T20 is a format for the youngsters. Back in the day, when T20 cricket was very much in vogue, the first World T20 was inaugurated in 2007, the stalwarts of the Indian team, Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly, who were all in the mid-30s, felt that the format was not for them and they promptly choose to skip the World Cup altogether, thereby a young Indian team under Dhoni to take shape. It was a courageous decision on their part.
It would not have been easy for them, who have served the country for so long and faithfully, to conclude that their game and age does not suit the requirements of one particular format. The ego would not have allowed it. The selectors for their part, would have happily selected them in the squad.
At the corner of their mind, they still would have wanted to have a crack just to be part of the new format but they were not swayed by their ego and promptly decided not to even contemplate T20. Ofcourse, Dravid still went onto make his debut in T20, just one game when there wasn’t enough players around in England. The truth is that Dravid, Tendulkar amd Ganguly understood the requirements of the format and took a decision that benefitted the team.
The current senior players
Can we say the same about Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja? I am not implying that they are being selfish but I am sure that they are unable to let go off of T20. That much is clear. All of them were involved right from the inception of T20 cricket. Rohit infact was part of the inaugural T20 World Cup winning Indian team. For him, it is even more difficult to bid goodbye. Kohli just had a stellar season with RCB. Also, the fact that he has never won the World Cup, T20 or ODi, seems to motivate him to continue playing.
What about Jajeda? It is difficult to gauge his utility in T20 cricket. One will struggle to remember the last time he had a significant impact for the nation. Yet, he still is an excellent fielder but batting and bowling seems to have deserted him. On flat pitches, Jadeja does not have any impact. Lower down the order, he is incapable of the kind of innings that is expected from him. It leaves a big question mark over his overall utility to the team.
Axar Patel, whose bowling is more or less similar to that of Jadeja has recently stolen a march over him with his ability with the bat. He is also left-handed so that aspect of Jadeja’s batting is also nullified. Against Pakistan, in the ongoing World Cup, he came in at number 4. I have never seen Jadeja come in above number 6. It leaves a serious question mark over his adaptability. I am not saying that Axar is an excellent criceketer but at the moment, he is head and shoulders above Jadeja.
Wrapping up is it the end for seniors?
The next T20 World Cup will be in 2026. Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja will be on the wrong side of 30s. Logically, they will have to announce retirement at the end of the World Cup from T20. They must not force the selectors to drop them which will not sit well with any of them. These players will continue to play for their respective franchises in the IPL. That is for the franchise to decide. Rohit and Kohli is a brand and their franchises will not allow them to leave the scene that easily. Take the case of Dhoni who is still playing without creating much impact thereby making a joke of himself.
There are enough replacements. The likes of Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj and a host of young cricketers are waiting in the wings to represent the nation during the next decade. The time has come to thank Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja for their services. They can still continue to play Tests and ODIs though I do not see a role for Jadeja in ODIs either. Cricketers must realise when their time is up.
Other blogs about Rohit
https://icricketcritique.com/rohit-sharmas-litmus-test-as-captain/
https://icricketcritique.com/rohit-sharmas-ridiculous-comment/
https://icricketcritique.com/should-rohit-sharma-drop-himself/
https://icricketcritique.com/gavaskar-feels-rohit-needs-to-rest/
https://icricketcritique.com/t20-rohit-and-kohli/
https://icricketcritique.com/well-said-rohit-sharma/
https://icricketcritique.com/a-tribute-to-rohit-sharma/