Former India wicketkeeper batsman Deep Dasgupta has sidelined the most important topic of Indian cricket, which is the future of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Two legends of the Indian national cricket team are in the news regarding whether they will play in the upcoming ODI World Cup 2027 or not.
Virat and Rohit featured in the recently concluded series against the England national cricket team, in which the Men in Blue lost 1-2 despite good performances from two of the most experienced cricketers. Cricketer turned commentator Deep Dasgupta has asked the management and selectors to maintain the same parameters for all cricketers.
Deep Dasgupta urges collective responsibility beyond Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
The former batsman while speaking on his YouTube channel also discussed that Team India captain Shubman Gill should continue to perform like he has in the recent series as there should be no questions around him. He also said that Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Gill will be given more chances due to their consistent good performances.
“With 14 months left for the World Cup, everyone has to perform, not just him. God forbid Shubman Gill doesn’t score in the next two series. Questions will also be asked about his place in the team despite being the captain. So performance is imperative for everyone.”
“Yes, some guys like Rohit, Virat and Gill deserve more chances because of their performances over a long period of time. So they will get more chances than anyone else.”
Chance for Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad?
There are players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and many batsmen who are performing well in List A games and also in some ODIs when given a chance, but have failed to get a permanent place because of Virat and Rohit, although there is some pressure behind them as well.
Recently, Yashasvi Jaiswal featured in the Afghanistan series as he was added as a replacement for Virat Kohli, who was injured in that series. But despite scoring a century, Kohli was dropped from the England series as soon as he returned to the team and Gaikwad is also performing well in List A matches.
“They have to perform”- Deep Dasgupta on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
Deep Dasgupta also mentioned that performing consistently and being under pressure before major tournaments is not just the responsibility of RO-KO. It will be the responsibility of the entire team, especially the batsmen, to continue to perform well with about 15 months left for the World Cup 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Dasgupta said, “There is no need to constantly isolate Rohit and Virat. They have to perform like everyone else. So this is not a debate about Rohit and Virat. This is a debate about everyone, with less than a year left for the World Cup, they all need to keep performing. So leave them (Rohit and Virat) alone. Don’t treat them differently.”
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are likely to feature in the upcoming ODI series against West Indies as they play only ODI formats after retiring from Tests and T20Is.