Sledging Room Cricket Podcast: Why bring back Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to T20Is after having had a forward-thinking plan for the T20 World Cup? Are the selectors playing it safe? What will happen to the young guns who auditioned last year? Also, the pitch chatter has already erupted in the lead-up to the India vs England Test series. In the latest episode of our cricket podcast, we don’t agree to disagree.

Supporters of the decision hailed the return of these seasoned campaigners, emphasising the wealth of experience they bring to the table. Fans and pundits alike pointed out that Kohli’s impressive T20I record, boasting the highest run tally in T20I history with 4,008 runs at an average of 52.73, could be a game-changer for the team. Similarly, Rohit Sharma’s experience as a former captain and his ability to score big were seen as assets that could bolster the Indian batting lineup.

However, the move was not without its detractors. Critics argued that the inclusion of Kohli and Sharma might come at the expense of emerging talents like Shubman Gill, who had an outstanding IPL season in 2023, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. There were concerns that this could potentially stifle the growth of these young players, who had shown promise and seemed ready to take on the mantle in the T20 format.

BCCI’s choice also sparked debates about whether it was prudent to rely on the veterans’ past glories instead of embracing the aggressive, modern style of T20 cricket that the younger players had been cultivating.

Also, England are coming to India for a 5-Test series and the chatter about pitches has come to the spotlight at the right time. The English team cribbed too much about pitches last time they were in India in 2021. After the sensational win on an “unsatisfactory” pitch in Cape Town, the Indian Test team might want to play on rank-turners in the upcoming series, starting January 25.

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Produced by Anna Priyadarshini

Sound Mix by Kapil Dev Singh

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