Sunil Gavaskar points out 'massive aspect' to consider Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in India's 2024 T20 World Cup squad

Cricket Governing Body announced the schedule for the 2024 T20 World Cup on Friday. India, as usual, will enter the marquee event as one of the favourites. They are grouped with Pakistan along with three other countries, Ireland, Canada and the United States. As the Men in Blue look for their second triumph in the premier 20-over tournament, all eyes are on the two stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. 

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It has been over a year since the two icons of Indian cricket played a T20I match. Their last appearance was in the 2022 World Cup, where India lost to England in the semi-finals. After that Hardik Pandya took over the captaincy in the shortest format while Rohit and Kohli focused on the other two formats.

With the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup set to begin on June 4 in the USA/West Indies, the veterans have expressed interest in returning to the format. As the Indian Cricket Board has been building a young group over the past year or so, the debate over whether they should be considered for the World Cup continues. 

Massive aspect is that Rohit and Kohli are excellent fielders - Gavaskar 

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Meanwhile, former India opener Sunil Gavaskar gave his opinion on the inclusion of Rohit and Kohli in the T20 squad for the World Cup. Apart from their batting prowess, the legendary cricketer believes that both are terrific fielders and that will benefit the team. 

"Virat Kohli's form has been outstanding for the past 1.5 years. He also played brilliantly at the ODI World Cup. So, there should not be any debate over his batting prowess in limited-overs cricket. A massive aspect is that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are still excellent fielders," Gavaskar told Star Sports during the T20 World Cup schedule announcement on Friday.

"Sometimes, you get slow when you are 35-36; your throw isn't that good anymore. So, there are discussions over where to keep you while setting the field. That's not a problem for these two because they are still terrific fielders. In addition to seniority in the dressing room, they will contribute on the field, too. We don't know if Rohit will be captain, but whatever the case, any captain will surely benefit from that," Gavaskar further said.

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Team India's only T20I assignment before the World Cup is the series against Afghanistan. The three-match series will begin on January 11 and Rohit and Kohli are expected to feature. However, the final squad for the World Cup will be based on the players' performance in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL).