The T20-sized challenge ahead for Rohit and Virat

The rate of change in T20s has accelerated and the demand is for no-holds-barred madness. Whether the two stalwarts can adapt will be worth keeping an eye on

They're back but given how pragmatic Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are, they will both know that the job is only half done. Over the years, both batters have adapted their style to the changing demands of the modern game multiple times Whether they can do the same in T20 cricket too will be worth keeping an eye on.

Sharma was never an opener but made himself one of the best in the one-day format by successfully merging big-hitting prowess with an ability to score the big hundreds. He did this with a consistency that set him apart from everybody else. He's mastered ODIS and made a mark in Tests doing that.

Kohli was different from Sharma. While the latter struggled to find his feet in international cricket, the right-hander from West Delhi was a natural fit. He took to ODIs like fish to water and learnt the art of chasing from MS Dhoni, the best in the business. He stumbled in Tests but came back stronger and how! As long as T20s were an extension of ODIS, he seemed very much at ease there too.

But the rate of change in T20 cricket has now accelerated and the demand of the format calls for no-holds barred madness. A need to push the envelope far more than ever before. And it is by this stringent yardstick that Sharma and Kohli will now be measured.

In the past, India have got it wrong by not taking current form into the equation. Very often, reputations have been the difference-makers. But that is also why India, by extension, sometimes looked like they were playing T20 cricket from a different era.