AB de Villiers Offers Candid Assessment on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s T20I Future: ‘Do They Have the Hunger to..’

As India gears up for the final preparatory phase ahead of the T20 World Cup next year, the spotlight is on when the Indian think tank will greenlight the return of skipper Rohit Sharma and ex-captain Virat Kohli to the white-ball squad. Currently touring South Africa for its first away series post the 2023 One Day International (ODI) World Cup, India finds itself without batting stalwarts Rohit and Kohli for the entire white-ball leg of the tour.

Amidst speculation that Rohit Sharma may have played his last T20I for India, the 36-year-old guided India to the semi-final of the T20 World Cup last year and captained the team in the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup. Kohli, having stepped down as the T20I captain in 2021 to manage his workload, and Rohit has been granted rest from white-ball cricket, allowing them to focus on the upcoming Test series against South Africa.

Addressing the uncertainty surrounding the future of Rohit and Kohli, South African cricket legend AB de Villiers expressed his belief in their hunger for success at the T20 World Cup. On his YouTube channel, De Villiers stated, “We just have to see them there (Rohit & Virat). It’s all about their hunger. Do they have the hunger to go there and win the T20 World Cup? I think so… T20 World Cup is a short tournament, and you do set yourselves up to have another chance of winning a World Cup. So, I do see them going there.”

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In the absence of injured all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav has been appointed as the captain of the Indian team for the Australia and South Africa series. De Villiers commended India’s decision to name Suryakumar as the leader in T20Is, describing him as a “360-degree player” with a unique and creative approach. “India captained by Suryakumar Yadav is quite a nice move, I like that. It will be nice to watch him lead his troops in South Africa,” De Villiers added.