The news of Virat Kohli’s potential exclusion from India’s T20 World Cup squad has been met with controversy after being first reported by The Telegraph earlier this week. However, former India allrounder Kirti Azad has refuted these claims in his latest post.
Azad, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, stated that captain Rohit Sharma has reportedly told BCCI secretary Jay Shah that the team needs Kohli “at any cost.” This report about Kohli’s possible omission was allegedly based on sources telling The Telegraph that the BCCI selectors feel Kohli has not been performing well in the T20 format.
Azad took to a microblogging website to dispute claims of Kohli’s exclusion from the T20 World Cup squad. Without mentioning any names, he wrote that “nincompoops should not involve themselves in the selection process.” Azad mentioned that Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector and former India pacer, was given until March 15 to make a decision. However, according to sources, Agarkar was unable to convince either himself or the other selectors.
In his post, Azad revealed that Rohit Sharma has expressed his opinion to Jay Shah in clear terms, stressing that Kohli should be included in the squad. “Jay Shah asked Rohit Sharma too but Rohit said we need Virat Kohli at any cost. Virat Kohli will play the T20 World Cup, and the official announcement will be made before the team selection,” Azad wrote.
Kohli, who took a break from the recent Test series against England for the birth of his second child, is set to return to action for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL starting March 22.
