On Rohit Sharma vs Hardik Pandya captaincy debate, Sourav Ganguly’s honest verdict

PTI, Jan 9, 2024, 9:34 AM IST

Former captain Sourav Ganguly on Sunday backed stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to feature in India’s squad for the T20I World Cup in June. The duo, who have not featured in any T20I for about 14 months, have made themselves available for the sport’s shortest format, and it remains to be seen if they are picked for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, beginning January 11 in Mohali.

“Of course Rohit should captain the team in the T20I World Cup. Virat Kohli also should be there. Virat Kohli is an outstanding player, nothing will happen (to return after 14 months),” Ganguly added.

India’s semifinal defeat to England in the T20I World Cup on November 10 was the duo’s last appearance in the shortest format.

Ganguly is impressed with Yashasvi Jaiswal’s outing in the two-Test series in South Africa and said the young opener will get enough opportunities in future.

The 22-year-old left-handed batter managed only 50 runs in four innings on the challenging South African tracks of Centurion and Cape Town as the series ended in a 1-1 draw.

“He has played well in the second Test, it’s just the start of his career. He will get enough opportunities,” Ganguly said during a promotional event here.

After their innings and 32-run defeat at Centurion, India made a strong comeback to defeat South Africa by seven wickets at Cape Town in what was the shortest-ever Test.

“People say a lot of things after losing one match, India are a strong side. But look at the way they have played. They won the ODI series, drew both the Test and T20I series.”