Rohit Sharma will continue to lead India at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA (in June), BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirmed on the eve of the third India-England Test in Rajkot. Shah said Rohit has everyone’s backing within the dressing room and the board, adding future captain Hardik Pandya to play as his deputy in this tournament.

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After replacing Virat Kohli as the all-format skipper in late 2021, Rohit captained Team India at the 2022 T20 WC in Australia, where they lost to England by ten wickets in the semis. Under his leadership, India played the World Test Championship (WTC) and the 2023 World Cup final (at home), losing to Australia on both occasions. 

Rohit remained unavailable for selection in the T20Is since the Adelaide semis loss, only to return during the Afghanistan T20Is earlier this year. Rohit’s selection in that series indicated who will lead India in the marquee event later in the year.

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“The fact that he was returning after a year to lead in the Afghanistan series recently meant he was obviously going to [lead in the T20 World Cup],” Shah said during an event in Rajkot on Wednesday (Feb 14). 

Shah opens on Virat Kohli’s T20I future

Jay Shah also commented on the noise around Virat Kohli for a) the reason behind missing the England Tests, and b) will he play the T20 World Cup?
On Virat missing the home series against England, Shah said that a man who is the first to raise his hand whenever the team needs him should be left alone if he’s asked for some space (probably for the first time in his career). 

“If a person, for the first time in a 15-year career, asks for personal leave, it’s his right. Virat is not a player who will ask for leave for no reason. We need to trust our player and back him,” Shah said. 

Meanwhile, on Virat Kohli’s T20I future, Shah said, “We will talk about him.

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