New Delhi, Nov 22 Former South Africa cricketer Jonty Rhodes backed senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to continue playing till the 2027 ODI World Cup, saying that the duo have an ‘abundance’ of experience and mental strength to play a pivotal role in the quadrennial showpiece.
Both Virat and Rohit have announced their retirements from Test cricket earlier this year and only play in the ODI format for the country. Ahead of the ODI series against Australia, Rohit was also relieved of the ODI captaincy and was handed over to Shubman Gill.
Amid all the developments, fans and veteran cricketers started speculating about their ODI career ahead, many hinting that the duo will not play further till the next ODI World Cup.
However, Rhodes believes the senior pros should continue playing and keep producing runs for the country, adding their presence will come in handy for India in the ODI World Cup.
"And I get asked, it happened with Tendulkar, it happened with Dhoni. It's like the next bunch of guys, when should they retire? When should they play? It's up to them. I mean, they keep producing the runs. Then you've got to select them. They've got so much experience," Rhodes told IANS.
"And we know tournaments like a World Cup. It's not just about the talent that you have, but it's also about, you know, the sort of mental strength of players. So Kohli and Rohit certainly have that in abundance," he added.
In last month’s three-match ODI series against Australia, Rohit struck a century in the final game as India won the match by nine wickets, while he also hit 73 in the second match of the series. He was also named Player of the Series for his brilliant performance with the bat.
On the other hand, Kohli, who was dismissed on consecutive ducks in the first two ODIs, came back strong to hit an unbeaten 74 in the series finale.
The duo will next be seen in action in the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa, starting on November 30.
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