Here's why Rohit Sharma should play T20 cricket ahead of World Cup in June

After India's disappointing loss in the final against Australia, Team India and their fans were in tatters. Rohit Sharma was seen sobbing quietly and looked dejected on multiple occasions whenever the broadcasters' cameras panned towards him.

With days passing by and India in action again, the fans are ready to cheer Team India. Though the seniors from the World Cup are not part of India's first series after the World Cup, the chances of their return are certain during India's tour of South Africa, which starts on December 10.

However, if the reports have to be believed, the designated India captain across formats, Rohit Sharma, has communicated with chief selector Ajit Agarkar that he won't play T20 International matches.

"It is not a new development. Rohit hasn't played any T20Is in the past one year as the focus was on ODI World Cup. He had extensive discussions with the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar in this regard. He has himself volunteered to stay away from T20Is. It has been Rohit's call," news agency PTI quoted a BCCI source.

With the next World Cup just six months away and Hardik Pandya's fragile built, India need a player who can lead from front and Rohit Sharma could be the apt player for that.

His fearless approach could also be useful for Team India at the top. The 36-year-old India skipper has played 148 T20Is, scoring 3853 runs at a strike rate of nearly 140 with four hundred.

"I want to see Rohit Sharma as a captain in the T20 World Cup. Yes, Hardik Pandya has captained in T20Is, but I still want to see Rohit Sharma captain in the T20 World Cup," said former India captain Gautam Gambhir.

“In this World Cup, he has showed that with his batting. If Rohit Sharma is picked, Virat Kohli will automatically get picked. If Rohit Sharma decides to play the T20 World Cup, he should be selected as a captain and not just as a batter," Gambhir added.

However, Rohit hasn't played a single game in the shortest format since India's T20 World Cup semi-final exit in November 2022. Hardik Pandya has mostly led the Indian team in T20Is since then.

Rohit Sharma International career

Batting Career Summary
Format	M	Inn	NO	Runs	HS	Avg	BF	SR	100	200	50	4s	6s
Test	52	88	9	3677	212	46.54	6534	56.27	10	1	16	394	77
ODI	262	254	36	10709	264	49.12	11644	91.97	31	3	55	993	323
T20I	148	140	15	3853	118	30.82	2767	139.25	4	0	29	348	182
IPL	243	238	28	6211	109	29.58	4776	130.05	1	0	42	554	257

*stats cricbuzz.com

Rohit Sharma IPL career over the years