Our Bureau
New Delhi
There has been a lot of chatter around whether Indian cricket icons Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have a place in the Indian ODI set up going forward. Numerous reports have come out hinting that the selectors and management might be looking past them with the ODI World Cup just two years away. Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee member, Devang Gandhi believes that the veteran duo now needs to make space for the younger talents.
Devang Gandhi in a recent chat revealed that both Sharma and Kohli should be looked past otherwise how can youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Sai Sudharsan be given a chance. He believes that they have proved themselves in the red-ball format and should now be part of the team in the ODI setup.
“How will you make players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Sai Sudharsan, 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,” Gandhi said.
He highlighted that time waits for none and if in a year’s time any of the two veterans goes out of form India will be in big trouble. It will be too much to ask from a young player to step up and take the job with no real time to prepare.
“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. There’s absolutely no doubt about the contribution of Rohit and Virat. But time doesn’t wait for anybody,” Gandhi added.
Reports have come out that have hinted that the upcoming Australia series in October might be the one that sees both Virat and Rohit bid adieu to the format they once ruled. Despite both players showing no signs of bad form in the 50-over format, the management seems to be moving on from them as far as the ODI World Cup 2027 is concerned.
