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Stalwarts like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli playing in this year’s T20 World Cup despite their team’s poor performances at the ICC events over the years shows there is more than their PR that has worked in their favor. Those who thought Rohit and Virat were done with in T20 after India lost the 2023 World Cup were wrong. The Indian team may have lost the final to Australia, but players like these senior pros won millions of hearts with their performances. None of the selectors were in a position to show them the exit door from the shortest format of the game. A section of BCCI wanted a young team under Hardik Pandya to play in the upcoming T20 World Cup, but the plan changed overnight after these icons decided to give one more go at the ICC trophy after gauging the public mood.
Ultimately, the public sentiments helped Rohit to delay his T20 retirement. Ditto for Kohli, who behaved as if no one asked a question about his T20 form and slot. That was all. The Indian cricket board had no issue because the public sentiments were with Rohit and Virat. The anti-sentiments about Rohit and Virat playing T20 cricket for India despite their absence from the format over the year for proper preparation for the World Cup at home disappeared into oblivion. With BCCI president Roger Binny backing Rohit to remain as T20 captain and subsequently advocating Kohli to play the T20 World Cup as no one is like him in that position just fell in place one after the other.
Murmurs are still there within the corridors of power about how Rohit and Kohli could have taken it easy, but the reality is that no one can deny the public sentiment about them. The BCCI is only following the public sentiments. It is no more the selectors who are empowered to pick the team. It was long gone after India had captains like MS Dhoni who only wanted players of his choice. In current times, it is the Indian public sentiments that work like magic. The public share is so big in cricket that even those who don’t play fantasy cricket to make money through it still have a say in this. Because they are tax-payers cum consumers. That makes them super powerful.
So, the next question that comes to our mind is when will they leave this format? If India wins the T20 World Cup then there is absolute public support for them to play a few more ICC events. If the India team loses and Rohit and Kohli win, then what?
It comes down to that famous Kishore Kumar song from the film Roti, which says: “Ai babu ye public hai public, Ye jo public hai sab jaanati hai, Ye jo public hai.” The BCCI too will sing this same tune after the T20 World Cup is over. Who knows?
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