Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s at-bats don’t come in as regularly as they used to. Kapil Dev, India’s 1983 World Cup captain, said it would therefore be better for India not to pin down hopes of winning the World Cup with Kohli and Rohit alone.
The transitional period of Indian cricket has already begun. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are unlikely to play his T20 cricket regularly and their futures in ODI cricket look the same at home after his World Cup this year. Both Rohit and Kohli have been pillars of Indian cricket for about a decade. They are still the top ten batsmen in world cricket as far as limited overs cricket is concerned, but a lot has changed in the last few years. From this two solid plate appearances of his, he was not hit as regularly as before. There is a pool of talent waiting for opportunity. Kapil Dev, India’s 1983 World Cup captain, said it would therefore be better if India didn’t lock down hopes of winning the World Cup with Kohli and Rohit alone.
“If you want to win the World Cup, coaches, selections and team management have to make difficult decisions. Aap Virat pe, Rohit pe ya 2-3players pe bhadosa karenge ki wo hume World Cup jeetayenge toh aisa kabhi bhi nahi ho sakta never happens). You should trust your team. do we have such a team? Decisive. Will there be a winner for a particular match? Yes of course! We have players who can win the World Cup,” Kapil told ABP News.
His Rohit, who is officially the current All Formats captain of India, has not scored a century in ODI cricket in over two years. Meanwhile, Kohli ended his 36-month wait for his ODI century in the third game against Bangladesh last month.
Kapil said Rohit and Kohli did their part. Now is the time for young people to step up and take the team forward.
“There are always a few players who are the pillars of the team. The team revolves around them, but they need to break through and develop at least 5-6 players. So I say that we cannot rely on Virat and Rohit. A player is required to complete each task. Young people must come forward and say, ‘It’s our time,'” said the legendary all-rounder.
By the end of this year’s home world championships, Rohit said he would be closer to 37th, while Kohli had just reached 36th. Kapil said it would be a tough job for the two legends to play at the next ODI World Championship.
“The biggest positive is that the World Cup will be held in India. No one knows the situation better than us. Over the past 8-10 years, Rohit and Virat have been India’s most important cricketers. Many started asking the question of whether this would be Virat and Rohit’s last World Championship. I think they can play, but they have to work really hard. Fitness plays an important role. There are many young people, can you keep up? There is a question mark, but it depends on how you want to play the game. There is no shortage of skills,” he added.