‘They shouldn’t be informed after…’: Harbhajan on how BCCI should manage Kohli in T20Is

The Indian star batter Virat Kohli returned to form in the Asia Cup 2022 after a bit of ebb and has since looked to be in great shape. With 276 runs, at a sharp average of 92, he was the second-highest scorer in the tournament, just five runs short of the highest scorer Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan. However, team India could not make it to the final.

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Next came the T20 World Cup in Australia and Kohli carried his form Down Under. He scored 296 runs at a striking average of 98.66. He stormed through the chase against Pakistan with 82 runs to register a memorable win against the arch-rivals. However, team India again failed to get to the final.

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This was a failure to make the finals of two big tournaments in a gap of just a couple of months. This got the selectors thinking about the future of India’s T20I cricket.

The next T20 World Cup will take place in 2024 and reportedly it’s curtains for Kohli along with Rohit Sharma as both have not played T20I cricket since the World Cup last year. The selectors want young blood to take over the format for the side.

Amid all this uncertainty, Harbhajan Singh has a word of advice for the selectors on how not to treat the star batters.

Harbhajan Singh believes that the BCCI should be clear in communicating whatever it has in the store for the seniors and avoid simply side-lining them without any clarity.

“See, I don’t know what selectors have in their minds and what they want to do but if we don’t win big tournaments like the World Cup, there always is pressure and the senior players bear the brunt of it. We tend to say ‘If the established stars are not able to win, we might as well pick youngsters – we should invest in them’. But as far as Virat is concerned, I don’t think he can be side-lined on the basis of form,” Singh was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

“Yes, you can of course speak to him and convey that look we are building a young team but whatever they choose to do, it should be conveyed to seniors. They shouldn’t be informed after a decision is made.”

In the ongoing IPL 2023, Kohli has so far scored 364 runs in 9 matches with 5 fifties. He has a strike rate of 137.88. Rohit has accumulated 184 runs in 8 games with one fifty and at a strike rate of 132.37.

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