Irfan Pathan added extra excitement to the discussion about India’s upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand with a bold prediction.
Irfan Pathan predicts centuries for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma against New Zealand
Speaking to the media at the Mumbai airport, Pathan confidently said that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will once again dominate the ODI stage.
The former Indian all-rounder believes that both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will score centuries in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand starting on January 11 in Vadodara. He also backed young Indian captain Shubman Gill to reach the three-figure mark in the ODI series.
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Pathan said, “100 percent (Rohit and Virat will score centuries). Rohit will also score a century and Shubman will also do the same.”
Dominance of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in ODI
The reason behind the former Indian all-rounder’s confidence was the stellar performance of both Rohit and Kohli in the recent ODI series against South Africa. Kohli was in tremendous form during the three-match ODI series and was the leading run-scorer with 302 runs.
Showing excellent timing, confidence and hunger for runs, he scored one century after another and then also scored an unbeaten half-century. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma also scored two half-centuries and helped India win the ODI series 2-1 against the Proteas team.
Irfan Pathan feels sad for Mohammed Shami
Meanwhile, Pathan was really disappointed with a key selection call for the upcoming ODI series against the Black Caps on home soil. Cricket pundits have once again criticized the selectors’ decision to recall senior fast bowler Mohammed Shami from India. He questioned the logic behind it.
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Shami has not played for India since their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 win, but he has been active and effective in domestic cricket. Shami recently played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, where he bowled long spells and finished as Bengal’s leading wicket-taker with 15 wickets in seven matches.
Since his return, he has bowled almost 200 overs, which clearly shows that there should be no doubt about his fitness. With over 400 international wickets to his name, Shami’s continued absence has made Pathan worried about the Bengal pacer’s future in the national team.
What is the future of Mohammed Shami?
“The biggest talking point is Mohammed Shami. What is his future? He is not someone who came yesterday, played a few matches and left. He has taken 450-500 international wickets, which is a big number,” Pathan was quoted as saying by RevSportz.
If you have taken more than 400 wickets and then you are dropped and questions are raised on your fitness, it happens to everyone.
Actually, India is now moving ahead of Shami and giving opportunities to young fast bowlers. In white-ball cricket, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna are being supported along with Jasprit Bumrah. Akash Deep and Anshul Kamboj have also been tried in the test.
