‘It’d be madness if India don’t pick Rohit, Kohli for T20 World Cup’: Andre Russell says they are in ‘Tendulkar’ bracket

Andre Russell says it would be utter “madness” if India picked a squad for next year’s T20 World Cup minus Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

He repeated the same towards the end of his answer, just to make his point clear if it wasn’t already. Like most from the Caribbean islands, Russell doesn’t mince words. If it’s in his mind, it will come out of his lips. And that’s exactly what happened when he was asked about the future of Rohit and Kohli in T20Is.

With the ODI World Cup done, there is still no clarity on Rohit and Kohli’s positions in India’s T20I side. They haven’t featured in this format for more than a year now but after the kind of performance they put in the recently-concluded World Cup, there is a chance that they might be called back to have one final crack at a World Cup, albeit in the T20 format. Russell said the young Indian players will give Kohli and Rohit a good fight but there are few better options than them when it comes to crunch situations.

“I don’t know why this is a big thing (the debate on Rohit and Virat). Social media can actually get in the way of cricketers by questioning their potential. Rohit with the experience and Virat being Virat, it would be madness if India pick a team for the (T20) World Cup and they are not in them. Experience in World Cups is very important. You can’t send 11 young soldiers to the battlefield. You have to have experience. The young Indian players will give them a run for their money. They have been good in the chances that they have got but I think when the pressure moments come, you need big players,” Russell told Hindustan Times in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi T10 league.

The T20 World Cup is just six months away. India have only eight T20Is before that (including the two matches in the home series against Australia). It is likely that Hardik Pandya, India’s captain in T20Is for the entire year, won’t play in any of those because of an ankle injury he suffered during the ODI World Cup last month. In such a scenario, will the selectors want to send a young team under him at next year’s World Cup?

‘Rohit, Kohli in the bracket of Sachin Tendulkar’: Russell

BCCI has already made a move towards maintaining continuity by giving a contract extension to India’s Rahul Dravid-led coaching staff. Will they do the same with Rohit and Kohli? Russell said they should give the two legends of Indian cricket another chance to win a World Cup. “Rohit is a big game player. Kohli loves the big stage. When a player enjoys being in such a situation, he is not nervous or tentative. I hope the board doesn’t listen to the media and decide. I would definitely give them this World Cup. Don’t treat big players like that. They have done so much for Indian cricket. They are right in that bracket of Sachin Tendulkar. So, it will be unfair to them. It will be madness if they are not picked.”

There is another important factor in this. Do Rohit and Kohli even want to be a part of T20Is anymore? Reports suggest that Kohli, the highest run-getter of the ODI World Cup 2023, has already conveyed to the board that he doesn’t want to be considered for the white-ball leg of the South Africa tour.

Russell muscle at Deccan Gladiators

Russell is representing the Deccan Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10 league. They got off to a winning start in the tournament by beating the New York Strikers but lost their next match to the Delhi Bulls. “Yeah, we were about 15-20 runs short today. With the kind of surface that we played on today, 120 was never going to be enough as they chased it down with 9 balls to spare… you know if we had those 15 runs extra, it could have been different,” he said.

Russell made useful contributions with the bat in both of those matches but didn’t bowl a single over. When asked about the same, the 35-year-old said it was tactical and that he would definitely bowl towards the backend of the tournament. “It was tactical. I have just arrived after a long flight and I haven’t played for over two months. We have so many bowlers in our team so it’s not a bad idea to give them an opportunity. This also allows me time to recover and get ready to be at my best anytime. I will definitely bowl at the backend of the tournament,” he added.