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Rohit opened up about the time where he and then-coach Rahul Dravid had to tell Shreyas Iyer that he would not be a part of the 2022 Asia Cup as well as the 2022 T20 World Cup squad in Australia. (File)
It isn’t a long while ago that Rohit Sharma was the Indian skipper for all three formats, leading the team in competitions like the Asia Cup, T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy. Now, having retired from T20Is and Tests, the former India skipper looked back at some of the tough calls he had to make during his tenure as captain.
Talking to JioHotstar’s ‘Captain Rohit Sharma’s Roadmap for T20 World Cup’ show, Rohit opened up about the time where he and then-coach Rahul Dravid had to tell Shreyas Iyer that he would not be a part of the 2022 Asia Cup as well as the 2022 T20 World Cup squad in Australia. Both tournaments did not go well from India’s point of view with the Men in Blue failing to reach the final on both occasions.
“There have been many such instances of taking hard calls before World Cups. I think of Shreyas Iyer during the 2022 T20 World Cup. I still remember that we were playing in the West Indies. Rahul bhai and I always felt that if you are taking such calls, it is important for the individual to know why you are doing it. I remember we called Shreyas near the pool, and Rahul bhai and I both spoke to him about why he was not going to be part of that Asia Cup, followed by the T20 World Cup that was going to take place. We had to explain the reasoning to him,” Rohit said.
“I remember we took Deepak Hooda then, and that was the only spot we had available. We felt we needed someone who could give us a little more with the ball, because in our top five or six, there were not many players who could bowl. So we wanted players with those multi-skills, and that is why we had to go with Hooda. He was in good form before that Asia Cup and World Cup, and based on the form he showed in the IPL and the way he was batting, I felt he could fit into our plans. Shreyas would have felt bad, Deepak would have been happy, but that is how it works. If someone else takes Deepak’s place in the future, then he would feel bad as well. As long as you have a valid reason and you explain it properly, that is fine,” he added.
Rohit also stressed on the importance of communication with the player concerned. “For us, it is important to understand how we can make the best use of the 15 players in our squad. We had to leave someone out in the 2023 World Cup, we had to keep someone out in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and we had to do the same in the Champions Trophy as well. Siraj was not part of the 2025 Champions Trophy, so I had a conversation with him and explained the situation to him. I also spoke to Yuzvendra Chahal when he was not part of the 2023 World Cup. There were several players like this, and we spoke to all of them. I feel it is always good to have a conversation. You will not be able to please everyone, but you try your best to help everyone understand the reasoning behind the decisions,” he said
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