Former Indian cricketer Devang Gandhi has backed selectors and the team management to take a call on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s ODI future. Gandhi reckons India would face a tricky situation if one of Rohit and Virat starts misfiring in the next one year.
In such a situation, Gandhi reckons it would be difficult for the management to find a quality player ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup. While Rohit Sharma has amassed 11,168 runs in 273 ODI matches at an impressive average of 48.77, Kohli has aggregated 14,181 runs in 302 ODI games at a stunning average of 57.88; thus, their records speak for themselves.
Gandhi told the Times of India, “There’s absolutely no doubt about the contribution of Rohit and Virat. But time doesn’t wait for anybody. If, say, in a year’s time, we come to a situation where one of them is not firing and we need a replacement, the team management may not have enough time to prepare a player for the job.”
“How will you make players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Sai Sudharshan, among others, sit out when they have shown how well they can adapt? The bigger transition is from T20s to Tests. Once a player has done well in Test cricket and has the power game, ODIs should come easier to them. It is very important that the selectors and the team management sit together and take a call.”
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Rohit and Virat could announce their ODI retirement after playing three ODIs against Australia in October. The pair has already announced their retirement from Test cricket and had retired from T20Is after the 2024 T20 World Cup.
