Rohit Sharma has called for Virat Kohli's inclusion in India's T20 World Cup squad 'at any cost': Kirti Azad

Former India cricketer Kirti Azad has dismissed reports suggesting Virat Kohli could be left out of the Men in Blue's squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, claiming skipper Rohit Sharma has called for Kohli's inclusion "at any cost".

A report on The Telegraph had stated that the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel was likely to take some tough calls while selecting a provisional squad in May, and that Kohli was likely to be omitted from the squad due to his relatively poor T20I numbers.

Both Rohit and Kohli played their first T20Is after more than a year in January against Afghanistan. While the India skipper smashed a whirlwind century after back-to-back ducks, Kohli registered scores of 29 and 0.

Azad however, believes Kohli will feature in the mega event that will be jointly hosted by the West Indies and USA in June, and that an official announcement will be made before team selection.

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"Why should Jay Shah, he is not a selector, to give responsibility to Ajit Agarkar to talk to the other selectors and convince them that Virat Kohli is not getting a place in the T20 team. For this, time was given till 15th March. If sources are to be believed, Ajit Agarkar was neither able to convince himself nor the other selectors. Jay Shah asked Rohit Sharma too but Rohit said we need Virat Kohli at any cost. Virat Kohli will play the T20 World Cup and its official announcement will be made before the team selection.

"Nincompoops should not invovle themselves in selection process," the former all-rounder, who represented India in 7 Tests and 25 ODIs, wrote in a post on X.

Kohli had taken a break after the Afghanistan T20Is, skipping the five-Test series against England in order to be with his family for the birth of his second child. The Royal Challengers Bangalore star will be returning to action in the Indian Premier League, where his performances are expected to be closely monitored.

Both Rohit and Kohli were believed to have made their final T20 appearance in an India jersey in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, in which the Men in Blue were knocked out by eventual winners England in the semi-finals. All-rounder Hardik Pandya had taken over the reins of the Indian team in the shortest format after the tournament and was believed to have been made the T20I captain even if there was no official announcement from the board.

The two batting stalwarts however, were in roaring form in the ODI World Cup at home last year, with Kohli and Rohit finishing at the top two spots on the batting chart with 765 and 597 runs respectively.

Rohit, additionally, returned as India's T20I captain in Pandya's absence during the three-match series against Afghanistan at home, which the Men in Blue ended up sweeping 3-0, and was later confirmed by BCCI secretary Jay Shah as India's captain for the T20 World Cup later this year.