“Do not find any direction here for India” – Deep Dasgupta amazed by comeback of Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli’s T20I squad after they not playing the format for one year.

Former wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta expressed surprise at the decision to reintroduce Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to India’s T20 squad for the Afghanistan series. The duo had been absent from T20Is since the team’s 10-wicket loss in the 2022 World Cup semi-final against England

Despite their availability for the shortest format, doubts arose regarding their inclusion in India’s T20 World Cup plans. However, their selection for the Afghanistan series ensures their participation in the upcoming tournament in June.

Speaking to Star Sports, Dasgupta remarked that India seems to have reverted to their previous setup, rendering the strategic moves of the past year nonsensical.

“I was slightly surprised because I thought the team had moved on from Rohit and Kohli. The main criticism was the lack of intent from the senior players in the last T20 World Cup. But then again, you need to keep in mind the kind of tracks you are expecting in the West Indies – are you expecting a 180 or 200-run wicket to 160-ish kind of tracks? To be very honest, I do not find any direction here for India in the last one year. If they had to go back to Kohli and Rohit…given the squads we had in the last one year, it is like going back to square one,” said Deepdas Gupta.

He added that the Indian playing XI now mirrors the lineup that suffered a significant defeat to England in the previous T20 World Cup.

“If you look at the team India had against England (in 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal) and the one against Australia recently, Hardik, Jadeja and Bumrah and Siraj will be back, but the middle-order will remain the same. Kohli will play at No. 3, Surya at 4, Hardik at 5, Jitesh or Samson at 6, then Jadeja and the rest follow. So there won’t be any difference in that middle-order finisher role.”