Kapil Dev on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's future in international cricket: 'When they think it's the right time to...'

World Cup-winning India captain Kapil Dev has backed struggling veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, saying that the two of them are aware of when they have to call time on their international careers. Both Rohit and Kohli endured disappointing outings in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series against Australia, outcomes that have raised questions on whether they should call time on international cricket or not.

“They are very big players. Let’s hope when they think it’s the right time to play, when they think it’s not, they will call it off,” Kapil said while speaking at an event organised by the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) in New Delhi.

While Rohit scored just 31 runs from three Tests, Kohli managed to score 190 runs from five Tests. Kohli had scored a century in the first Test in Perth but soon lost his way, repeatedly getting out to deliveries pitched outside off-stump.

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Kapil Dev maintained a neutral stance on the selectors avoiding Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant in India's T20 squad for the England series. “How can I comment on the judgement of others? I think the selectors would have though about it…So, if I say something it would be criticising them. I don’t want to criticise them. They (selectors) are a group of people who must have planned and thought about that,” Kapil added.

The next major assignment for Team India is a five-match T20I series against England, which will be followed by a three-match ODI series against the same opposition. The ODI series will be followed by the 2025 Champions Trophy, which will be held in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.

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India, who are in Group A, will begin their campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on 20 February . Pakistan and New Zealand are the other teams in India’s group. India’s squad for the eight-team tournament is yet to be announced, with the announcement likely to come out on 18 or 19 January.

‘Don’t compare me with Bumrah’: Kapil 

Kapil also urged people not to compare him with Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah was in top form in Australia, where he took 32 wickets before he sustained a back spasm during the fifth Test in Sydney. “Please do not compare (me with Bumrah); you cannot compare one generation with another. The boys of today score 300 runs in a single day, which didn’t happen in our time. So, don’t compare,” he stated.