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'Rohit Sharma said we need Virat Kohli at any cost for T20 World Cup'

The report of Virat Kohli's possible omission from India's T20 World Cup squad spread like wildfire after it was first reported by The Telegraph earlier this week, but a latest post by former India allrounder Kirti Azad refutes all those claims as the 1983 World Cup winner states that captain Rohit Sharma has told BCCI secretary Jay Shah that the team needs Kohli "at any cost". The T20 World Cup will begin shortly after the IPL concludes. The premier T20I tournament will be jointly hosted by the West Indies and the USA from June 2 to 29. India haven't won an ICC tournament since clinching the 2013 Champions Trophy. Refuting claims about Kohli's possible omission from the T20 World Cup, Azad wrote a post on microblogging website 'X', saying "nincompoops should not invovle themselves in selection process" without taking a name. He said that chief selector and former India pacer Ajit Agarkar was "given time till 15th March", but "if sources are to be believed, Ajit Agarkar was neither able to convince himself nor the other selectors."

The report about Kohli's exclusion was based on sources telling The Telegraph that the BCCI selectors believe Kohli hasn't been at his best in the T20 format.

Interestingly, Azad wrote that Rohit has given his opinion to Shah in no uncertain terms and wants Kohli in the squad. "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," Azad wrote. Kohli took a break from the five-Test home series against England for the birth of his second child and will next be seen in action for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL beginning March 22.