Follow UsFormer India batter and ex-selector Devang Gandhi believes it will be difficult for senior pros Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to keep youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan out of India’s ODI setup for long. Gandhi pointed out that they have already proven themselves in Test cricket and could excel in the 50-over format if given the opportunity.
Kohli and Rohit, two of India’s biggest batting icons of the modern era, now only feature in ODIs after retiring from Tests and T20Is. Both have expressed their desire to continue until the 2027 ODI World Cup, but reports suggest the selectors may already be considering a transition.
“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 told TOI.
“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.”
As things stand, both Rohit and Kohli are set to return for the three-match ODI series in Australia in October. According to reports, the selectors want them to feature in the ‘A’ series against Australia in India before heading Down Under, and they may also be asked to participate in the Vijay Hazare Trophy later this year to prove their form and fitness.