Following the ODI World Cup, the focus shifts to the next year’s T20 World Cup. Indian cricket signalled a way forward fielding a young team led by Suryakumar Yadav for the five-match T20I series against Australia. But former pacer Ashish Nehra believes that until Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma retires, the young crop have to fight for their place in the line-up.
While speaking on JioCinema, the 44-year-old said that age is not a factor and what matters is how many runs one player is scoring.
The former cricketer went onto addm He added that youngsters need to prove themselves to make their place in the 'Men in Blue' squad in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
"Age is no criterion. What matters is how many runs you are scoring. We spoke about Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Shubman Gill... but if Rohit Sharma wants to play, they have to compete with him. Here is a 36-year-old super-fit, fearless guy.
“When we talk about Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, again -- World Cup is very far -- if they want to play and they are scoring runs, youngsters will have to beat them to make a place in the XI," Nehra said.
He added that the loss in the ODI World Cup 2023 should not make a difference in the upcoming T20 WC.
Talking about Kohli and Rohit's performance, the former speedster added that any selector will be tempted to add them to the squad unless they retire from cricket.
"Loss in the ODI World Cup shouldn't make a difference. How those two think is the most important part. Virat Kohli is scoring runs in IPL, Rohit Sharma is performing, any selector will be tempted and they will have discussions unless they announce their retirement, which I hope won't be the case in the near future," Nehra stated.
