New Delhi, Aug 2 Former England spinner Monty Panesar believes India need to continue with stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, after the duo called curtains on their Test and T20I careers, in the ODI format but believes India will not have too much of a headache while selecting their replacements.
The two former captains announced their retirement from T20Is after the T20 World Cup win in 2024 and stepped away from the longest format in the build-up to the England Test series.
With only the 50-over format left to play for, questions have arisen whether the two greats will stick around till the 2027 ODI World Cup.
In an exclusive conversation with IANS, Panesar said Kohli and Rohit are absolutely vital for the team, but given the amount of talent India have at its disposal, their potential absence may not cause too much of a problem.
“India should look to continue to play with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. They have got plenty of experience and it's absolutely vital that they are there but I think possibly for the World Cup, because there's some players coming through.
“We've seen how we move on very quickly from the senior players in the test series so I think it's very much to do with India's bench. They've got very strong players everywhere and even if they don't play, India will probably find replacements for them very quickly because of this strength,” Panesar told IANS.
The last time Indian cricket fans saw the duo take the field in national colours was during the 2025 Champions Trophy in Dubai. India won the title after defeating New Zealand in the final. It was the third prominent trophy the side won under Rohit's leadership, following the 2023 Asian Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup.
After the conclusion of the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval in London, the Indian team will gear up for the Asia Cup to be played in the UAE from September 9 to 28. The continental tournament will be played in T20 format this time, keeping in mind next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
The fans have to wait till October to see the veteran batters Kohli and Rohit in India jerseys when they will tour Australia for the white-ball series, starting with three ODIs.
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