Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli confirm availability for T20Is vs Afghanistan

Senior pros Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are all set for a return to the shortest format of the game after they confirmed their availability. However, the sources said that the captaincy issue will be decided in a meeting scheduled later in the day, writes ETV Bharat's Sanjib Guha.

Kolkata: With both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma confirming their availability for the shortest format of the game, it is likely that the star duo would return to the Indian squad for the T20Is against Afghanistan slated to begin on January 11.

If both make a comeback to the shortest format, Rohit could walk out to toss in T20Internationals after a prolonged hiatus since both his replacements — Hardik Pandya and Surya Kumar Yadav — are still nursing their injuries and are unavailable for the T20I series against Afghanistan.

For the record, both Sharma and Kohli last turned up for India in the T20Is way back in November 2022. But keeping in mind the ICC T20, scheduled to be played in June, the selectors may give both the stalwarts a look in against the minnows at home to sharpen their skills further.

"It's still not clear who will lead the side, but both Rohit and Virat have confirmed that they will play the T20 for India," a source in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) told ETV Bharat on Friday.

The source further said that captaincy conundrum will be decided in a meeting scheduled later in the day with the five selectors joining online along with Team India head coach Rahul Dravid. The chairman of the selection committee Ajit Agarkar, Salil Ankola and Shiv Sundar Das are in South Africa with the Men in Blue while the other two selectors, Subrata Banerjee and S Sharath are in India and will join the meeting to take calls on the squad selection and the pick a captain for the upcoming series.

Despite being snubbed by the Mumbai Indians, Rohit Sharma may lead India in the shorter version, but there are other names in the fray too. "One doesn't know what Rahul Dravid would want. If the selectors and the coach are of the opinion that younger players may be promoted to lead the side, then the names of Ravindra Jadeja and Shreyas Iyer may be considered for the hot seat," the source said.

There are also chances that someone as young as Shubman Gill may also be considered for the captaincy role, but that looks distant as of now.

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