Former India national cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri has shared his views on the future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in international cricket, especially in relation to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027.
Ravi Shastri said nothing concrete can be said from the performance of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the comeback game, and a waiting game needs to be played to find out whether the pair is on track to play the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s comeback game was disappointing
Kohli and Rohit recently made their comeback to international cricket in the first ODI of the three-match series against Australia in Perth.
Both of them worked hard to prepare themselves for the big challenge against the strong Australian pace attack. Rohit also lost about 10 kg of weight and took a lot of batting practice in the nets.
Kohli also worked hard on his fitness after being away from competitive cricket for a long time. When Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli landed in Perth, they practiced quickly in the nets to acclimatise themselves to the conditions ahead of the series.
However, he was unable to impress with the bat in the opening match of the series and was dismissed early. Rohit Sharma scored 8 runs off 14 balls, while Virat Kohli was out for a duck as both Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc were dismissed.
When you come back after a long vacation, obviously you are tired – Ravi Shastri
Speaking on the ICC review, Ravi Shastri said that both of them were expected to look bad as they were coming back after a long time, and only time will tell whether they can participate in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027. He elaborated:
“When you come back after a long holiday, you are obviously tired. It is not easy for any overseas team to land in Australia, let’s say, two days before the game in Perth and straight away adjust to those conditions, especially when you have extra bounce and against quality fast bowlers. But I think only time will tell. They will go to Adelaide, they will have a chance to go to the nets, sort their minds and get back into action. There will be some time to come in.
“So I am in no rush to make a decision, but when you come back to that age, after some time, it is about how much you are enjoying the game and how much hunger and passion you have left to play the game.
“So if you tick two of those three, especially the fun part of it, you can give them both time because they have the class, they have the experience and a bit of time will sort things out. But I would prefer to wait rather than jump in and make a decision right away.”
Contribution should not be more than two or three years – Ravi Shastri
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri highlighted that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have played exceptional cricket for over a decade and said that their legacy will always remain strong no matter what the completion date.
Ravi Shastri said, “The contribution is not more than two or three years. The contribution is more than a decade, in Virat’s case it is more than one and a half decade. It is huge and people do not forget it.”
“And he has played against some of the best bowlers who have been a part of the game. It is special. His legacy will remain. Whether he finishes tomorrow or the day after tomorrow or whenever he finishes. That legacy will remain.”
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