'If Virat & Rohit do not rule themselves out of T20, then...': Shastri's advice to Dravid

Former Indian cricket team coach and all-rounder Ravi Shastri believe that if the senior members of the team want to be involved in the selection of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2023, then the final selection must be as per their form. The next edition of the tournament is scheduled to happen in the USA and West Indies and in the last two editions, Team India was not able to win the tournament despite having big names on the side. 

Big Team India names like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Hardik Pandya will be among the core members of the team and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will be monitoring the performance of these players while doing the team selection. All three players are currently part of the IPL 2023 where on one end, Virat and Hardik have performed decently till now in the tournament while on the other hand, Rohit has been struggling with the bat so far in the Indian Premier League 2023. 

'If Virat and Rohit do not rule themselves out of T20...': Ravi Shastri 

Giving his opinion on the Indian team's team selection and comparing the predicament of the current seniors to former players like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri said on ESPNcricinfo, "Virat and Rohit are right where Sachin, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav and Laxman were. So, you know there is a template before you. If Virat and Rohit do not rule themselves out of T20, then it is up to form, one year is a long time. You will pick the best guys at that time, and then of course experience will also count, fitness will count."

Ravi Shastri further opined that the senior players must focus on the longer format whereas it shall be the young players who should focus on the shorter format. 

'I would go in the direction of blooding the young players right now'

"Players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are proven, you know what they are all about. I would go in the direction of blooding the young players right now so that they get the opportunities and exposure, whilst you keep the likes of Virat and Rohit fresh for ODI cricket and Test cricket", Ravi Shastri said.