3 players who deserved T20 chances more than Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in Afghanistan series ft. Rahul Tripathi

The suspense around the T20I future of the superstar duo, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, finally ended when Team India announced the squad for the Afghanistan series on Sunday. A 16-member roster welcomed both stalwarts back into the T20I setup after a 14-month absence, with Rohit also being named captain.

As the final T20Is before the World Cup in June, the Men in Blue will play three games at home against the Afghans, starting January 11.

Despite being arguably India's most accomplished white-ball batters of this generation, the pair's selection evoked mixed reactions. While some felt their experience and pedigree made their selection once available a no-brainer, others believed that the side took a few steps backward again.

It also begged whether a few players who were given a short run in T20Is before being ignored warranted another stint ahead of the Kohli-Rohit combination. While the outcome of the 2024 T20 World Cup will determine whether this decision is fruitful or detrimental, the debates surrounding the selection will continue till that stage.

On that note, let us look at three players who deserved T20 chances more than Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the Afghanistan series.

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#1 Rahul Tripathi

Tripathi impressed in his last outing for India against New Zealand.

Rahul Tripathi is a classic example of someone whose exclusion from T20Is has stemmed performances in the latest IPL and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) tournaments.

After an incredible IPL 2022, where the 32-year-old scored 413 runs at an average of 37.55 and a strike rate of 158.24, he debuted for India in T20Is at the start of last year.

Picked for the role of an enforcer at No.3, Tripathi played unselfishly, scoring a crucial 16-ball 35 in only his second innings for India against Sri Lanka. The aggressive right-hander also scored a game-changing 44 off 22 deliveries in the home series decider against New Zealand in February last year. Yet, as destiny would have it, that was Tripathi's latest appearance for India.

The Ranchi-born cricketer had a dismal 2023 IPL season, scoring only 273 runs at an average of under 23 and a strike rate of 128.17 for the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). His recent SMAT season was no better, with an average of only 21.66 in seven outings.

Yet, with impact knocks in two of his five T20I innings for India, Tripathi could have easily been considered for selection in the upcoming Afghanistan series.

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#2 Deepak Hooda

Hooda displayed tremendous adaptability in his brief T20I career.

Deepak Hooda is another batter who suffered predominantly due to his poor 2023 IPL season and batting out of position in T20Is.

After stellar domestic performances and an excellent IPL 2022 season, the 28-year-old was a regular in the Indian T20I side that year. Hooda displayed an admirable willingness to bat out of position at No.6 even after impressing at one drop.

He scored a remarkable 57-ball 108 against Ireland at No.3 and averaged an incredible 49 at a strike rate of 166.10 at the position. However, the numbers waned due to the limited number of deliveries faced with batting down the order.

A dismal 2023 IPL season with an average of under eight at a strike rate of 93.33 worsened Hooda's selection chances, and the Rajasthan batter hasn't played for India since.

However, Hooda scored a record-breaking 180 in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) semi-final against Karnataka and had a terrific tournament overall to regain form. He also averaged over 35 at a strike rate of 135.60 in the SMAT season.

Yet, the latest T20I squad selections hint at Hooda being a possibly forgotten option in the grander scheme.

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#3 Nitish Rana

Rana got to feature in only two T20Is for India.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper last year, Nitish Rana, is another one who could consider himself unlucky for having only limited opportunities at the international level.

Despite batting at the challenging middle-order position, the southpaw has been consistent in the IPL for several years. Rana was selected for the Sri Lankan limited-overs tour in 2021 and played only two T20Is and a solitary ODI.

The 30-year-old has scored 340+ runs in each IPL season since 2019 and broke the 400-run mark in 2023. Leading KKR admirably, Rana scored 413 runs at an average of 31.77 and a strike rate of over 140.

He was also consistent for Uttar Pradesh in the recent SMAT tournament, with an average of almost 34 in seven games. Yet, for all the discussions surrounding the need for a left-hander in the middle-order, Rana's name rarely gets a mention.

The Afghanistan series could have been the ideal platform for Rana to reignite his international career, considering all the absentees due to injury and rest.

After over two years since his last game for India, it remains unclear if even the impressive batting displays in the past few months bring Rana back into the reckoning for national selection.