Former India captain and former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly backed skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli's break from the white-ball leg of the South Africa tour and said the opener and number 3 batter is an "integral and important part of Indian cricket."
The BCCI on Thursday announced that Kohli and Rohit have been granted a break from the white-ball leg of the South Africa tour, however, both batters will return and feature in the red ball format.
When asked if Rohit and Kohli fit in cricket's shortest format with the 2024 T20I World Cup approaching, Ganguly said both players were in terrific form in the recently concluded 2023 ODI WC and the opener and former captain "absolutely fit in the T20I format."
"They absolutely fit in the T20I format. You saw in the World Cup how well Virat Kohli has played. you saw how Rohit Sharma played in the World Cup. They are absolutely integral and an important part of Indian cricket. World Cup is different from bilateral because the pressure is different. I think they both were exceptional in this World Cup. Hopefully in 6 to 7 months down the line in the West Indies they will be against at their best," Ganguly said in an event on Friday in Kolkata.
Kohli produced an all-time great run of form, scoring the most runs ever by an individual batter at the World Cup. His 765 surpassed the previous record held by Sachin Tendulkar (673 in 2003) and came at an average of 96.62. His three centuries in the tournament saw him reach 50 career ODI tons, overtaking Tendulkar for the most in the history of the format.
"Very rightfully they have taken the break because there is so much cricket all the time. I cannot imagine there was a WC final on November 19 and in three days, you are playing a T20I series against the same team. It is not easy to pick yourself up, especially with the pressure and demands of the World Cup. I am happy they got a break. They will come back fresh for Test cricket. Then there are 5 Tests against England and then IPL and World Cup. So it is non-stop cricket. Hopefully, they will come back fresh and keep performing," Ganguly added.