Rohit Sharma speaks on ‘impact player’ Virat Kohli’s role in T20Is

India’s former T20I skipper Virat Kohli is an “impact player” who will continue to do whatever he has been doing for the team in the past, India’s freshly appointed short-format skipper Rohit Sharma said. Rohit, who took over from Kohli after the latter stepped down following India’s premature exit in the 2021 T20 World Cup, will lead the team against New Zealand in the three-T20I home series starting from November 17 in Jaipur.

Kohli will not feature in the T20I series, as the BCCI selection committee, keeping in mind the significant time players have spent in bio-secure environments away from family over the last year, rested a slew of first-choice members while including fresh faces in Venkatesh Iyer, Avesh Khan and Harshal Patel. Though, Kohli will return for the second Test in Mumbai from December 3 to 7 after missing the first one in Kanpur from November 25 to 29.

“Virat Kohli’s role won’t change. He will keep on doing what he has been doing for the team for so many years,” Rohit said while addressing a virtual press meet on the eve of the first T20I against New Zealand. “He is a very important player for the team. Whenever he plays, he creates an impact. He always leaves his mark on the match.”

“Everyone has a different role in the team. And those change based on whether you are batting first or chasing so based on that, roles will keep on changing. Everyone is open to that and I’m sure when Virat comes back, it will only strengthen the team. The wealth of experience he has and the kind of batsman he is, he will only add value to our squad,” Rohit added.

India will also be without Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja, who all have also been rested for the T20Is, with KL Rahul deputizing for Rohit Sharma. Meanwhile, also missing from the ranks are Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur and Varun Chakravarthy, all of whom were with the team at the T20 World Cup.

Highlighting the importance of workload management, India’s newly-appointed head coach Rahul Dravid said: “Even in football, the big players don’t play all the matches. The players’ mental and physical well-being will be important. It’s a balancing act and works towards getting everyone fit and ready for the big tournaments.”