During a recent press conference following the T20 World Cup squad selection, Indian captain Rohit Sharma addressed questions about his absence from T20 International (T20I) matches in 2023.
When asked about his absence from T20Is in 2023, Rohit Sharma clarified, “Ajit was not part of the selection committee at that time. In the past also, whichever format happens, we give priority to that format. A lot of players were given breaks. The focus was on the 50-over World Cup. We had to miss the T20 format. It was the same situation when the T20 World Cup happened in Australia. We missed a lot of ODIs. The test is the only format we have consistently played. We didn’t want to miss that.”
Sharma was explaining to the interviewer the processes that the team management had in place to ensure that the different formats are properly prioritized. This is to ensure that while some players can afford to miss some tournaments in different categories, they will not become fatigued and compromised to continue producing good results.
“That’s the strategy that we discussed. Ajit came later in the picture; he would not have probably known what was discussed. So he didn’t have a lot of idea about who should be resting and who shouldn’t be resting,” Rohit added, addressing comments made by former cricketer Ajit Agarkar regarding his absence from T20Is.
