 "Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will feature in India's ODI series against Sri Lanka. Image: AFP")
Gautam Gambhir, the India head coach, has provided an update regarding the future of ODI and Test captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, dismissing any premeditated timeline of their careers.
The duo had announced their retirement from the T20I format after the World Cup in the Caribbean. India had beaten South Africa to end their 11-year ICC title drought .
With the 20-over game behind them, both will focus on the 50-over and Test formats. Newly appointed coach Gambhir, in his first press conference , said the veterans can be a possibility for the 2027 ODI World Cup. He stressed on expecting the duo to be available for matches in both formats going forward.
“I think they’ve shown what they can deliver in the big stage, whether it was the T20 World Cup or 50-over World Cup. One thing I can be very clear of, both those guys have a lot of cricket left in them. And more importantly with Champions Trophy and a big tour of Australia coming up, there won’t be any shortage of motivation. If they can keep their fitness, the 2027 World Cup as well,” Gambhir said on Monday.
Gambhir said the decision to rerire is entirely theirs and it is a pleasure to have them in their midst.
“This is a very personal decision [retirement]. I can’t say how much cricket is left to them. Ultimately it is up to the players, how much they can contribute to the team’s success. But looking what what Virat and Rohit can deliver, they still have a lot of cricket. They’re still World Class players and any team would want to have both of them for as long as possible,” he added.
The focus will also be on how their workload is managed now that Kohli and Rohit will play one format less. Another player in focus is Jasprit Bumrah who got the coach’s nod to be given extra leeway to sit things out when needed.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“I’ve said it before, workload management for someone like Jasprit (Bumrah) is important. He is one rare bowler, which anyone would want. You want him to play important games. That’s why the workload management for not just him but fast bowlers is important.
“If you are a batter, who’s batting well, you might as well just play all formats. Rohit and Virat have retired from T20Is now, so they will play two formats from now. Hopefully they are available for most of the games.”