Captain Rohit back as time-strapped India begin auditions for T20 World Cup

India will begin the last leg of their preparation for the T20 World Cup when they take on Afghanistan in a 3-match series, starting January 11 in Mohali. India had followed a forward-thinking plan for the shortest format of the game over the last 14 months, keeping in mind the disappointments from the previous two editions of the T20 World Cup.

However, with less than 6 months to go for the premier tournament, starting June 1, India seem to have taken the safer route, bringing back their veteran stars, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, after months-long speculation over their T20 international futures.

Only time will tell if the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is a boost to India's T20 World Cup hunt, but their slotting straight back into the team's plans has made life difficult for younger stars who were trying to find their foot in the senior national team last year.