India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir made a major prediction regarding the longevity of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, highlighting their importance for the team in the upcoming major tournaments like the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to be hosted in Pakistan.
Gambhir, while speaking to the media ahead of the team’s departure for Sri Lanka for a three-match each ODI and T20I series, heaped praise on the senior batting duo of Virat and Sharma for their abilities to deliver on the big stage, before going on to claim that they have enough cricket left in them to feature in the ICC Men’s World Cup 2027.
“I think they have shown what they can deliver on the big stage, whether it’s the T20 World Cup or the 50-over World Cup. One thing I can be very clear is that both of those guys have a lot of cricket left in them,” said Gambhir.
“And more importantly, the Champions Trophy is coming up and a big tour of Australia, they will be motivated enough. And then hopefully, if they can keep their fitness, the 2027 World Cup is there,” he added.
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The newly-appointed India head coach, however, termed the decision of either Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli to continue playing “a very personal decision” but emphasized that the team comes first.
“This is a very personal decision. I can’t say how much cricket is left in them. Ultimately, it’s up to them. It’s up to the players (to decide) how much they can contribute to the team’s success.
“Ultimately, it’s the team that is important. Looking at what Virat and Rohit can deliver, they have a lot of cricket. They are still world-class. Any team would want both of them for as long as possible.
Gautam Gambhir also opened up regarding the importance of workload management which saw Jasprit Bumrah rested for the Sri Lanka tour.
“Workload management for someone like Jasprit Bumrah is important. Rohit and Virat are not playing T20s, so they need to be available for most of the important games.
“For a batter, if he can play good cricket and be in good form, might as well play all the games. Not just for Jasprit Bumrah, but most of the bowlers, workload management is important.”
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