Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh offered his insights on the retirement prospects of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He believes that Virat Kohli, thanks to his excellent fitness, can continue to meet the demands of international cricket for the next five years. However, Rohit Sharma, the Test and ODI captain, is expected to play for at least two more years.
"Rohit can easily play for two more years. You never know with Virat Kohli’s fitness, you can see him competing for five years. He is probably the fittest guy in the team," Harbhajan told PTI Videos in an exclusive interview.
"You can ask any 19-year-old player about competing with Virat in terms of fitness, and Virat will surpass him. Virat and Rohit are incredibly fit. I believe both have a lot of cricket left in them. It all depends on their fitness, performance, and the team's success. If they stay fit, perform well, and help the team win, continuing to play will be easy for them," said the 700-plus international wicket-taker.
Harbhajan Singh candidly stated that players, whether senior or junior, should be dropped if they are not fit.
"Selectors need to see, that if someone is not performing well, they should be dropped. Whether they are senior player or juniors. But as long as everyone is fit, they should be able to get selected in the team," Harbhajan said.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma likely to play in Duleep Trophy before IND vs BAN Tests
Batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are expected to take part in the Duleep Trophy before the Indian team returns to international cricket for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
The 2024 Duleep Trophy matches are scheduled for September, and since the Indian team does not have any fixtures before September 19, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is encouraging senior cricketers to participate in domestic cricket. However, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin have been exempted and will not feature in the first round of the Duleep Trophy.