Ravi Shastri, the former Indian head coach, has asked the selectors and the team management to keep their hands off Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and has cautioned them about the consequences if they trifle with the giants of the sport.
The Indian legends are under constant pressure regarding their performance as they have both grown older; cricket is their only international format, with very limited playing time, and the management is always ready to pounce on any slightest of opportunities to get rid of them.
Ravi Shastri has sounded a warning not to interfere with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Since the retirement from Test matches, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been the subject of extensive discussions. Ravi Shastri has come forth to deliver a strong warning to the BCCI regarding the consequences of their meddling with the two greats. He emphasized that it is detrimental to the team in the long run to annoy them due to a hidden agenda.
“Look, these two are like grandpas. They are the masters of white ball cricket, so please do not play with such players, yaar (don’t meddle with them). If their mind gets right and they press the right button, then they will all be gone (If they fix their brains and hit the right button, then everyone will be for cover),” Shastri was quoted as saying in a promotional video for his interview released by Prabhat Khabar.
When Shastri was asked about the people who are allegedly having ‘fun’ with the two cricket legends, he straightforwardly replied, “The ones who want to.” He was among the very few who have kept saying that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma need to be part of the team until the 2027 World Cup, but he has also mentioned that the coming of the youthful talents will make it difficult for them to survive.
“Experience can’t be purchased from the market outside,” is the wise saying of Ravi Shastri.
Ravi Shastri indeed deserves to be the prime mover of the golden era of Indian cricket, a period of domination of red and white ball cricket by the Indian team during 2017-2021 when Shastri was the head coach.
The Indian team could count on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as the two main stay of the team, and, therefore, the madman of Indian cricket, permits himself, the luxury of one, and only one, statement about the two legends’ contribution to the game.
“Experience can’t be bought from the market outside. One is a master chaser, the other one has three double centuries in ODIs,” he said, implicitly referring to Kohli and Rohit as unreplaceable.
Rohit-Kohli are not in good terms with the Indian management
It has been pretty clear that after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli declared their retirement from the longest format of cricket, their ODI careers became questionable too. Nevertheless, the two veterans are adamant and prepared to battle till their final innings to secure their places until the 2027 ICC World Cup.
Yet, it is evident that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have a strained relationship with the present Indian management team, whether it is Gautam Gambhir or Ajit Agarkar. The BCCI insisted that they come back to domestic cricket, which the senior players also did not appreciate.
On the one hand, there were some ex-cricketers such as Kris Srikkanth and Mohammad Kaif who quite openly stated that India will not be able to win the 2027 World Cup unless the two veterans are in the team, while on the other hand, the BCCI has not promised them a place.