Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh finds it quite baffling that the future of legends like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is being decided by "people who have not achieved much".
Kohli and Rohit retired from Test cricket within a gap of five days in May this year. Having retired from T20Is last year, the seasoned campaigners are now focusing solely on the ODI format.
However, with fewer ODIs being scheduled these days, questions remain over the ageing duo's future, especially their participation in the 2027 World Cup in South Africa.
It was recently reported that the BCCI is planning a review meeting with head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar to decide the future of Kohli and Rohit in ODIs.
However, Harbhajan expects the batting stalwarts to carry on till the quadrennial event in South Africa two years later.
"It is beyond our understanding. I may not be able to answer because I have been a player myself, and what I have seen has happened to me as well. It has happened to many of my teammates, but it is very unfortunate. We don't talk about it or have a discussion about it," Harbhajan said, as quoted by PTI.
"I am so happy when I see a player like Virat Kohli who is still going strong. It is a bit unfortunate that those people are deciding about their future who have not achieved much," he added.
While the ODI World Cup is still more than a year away, Harbhajan backed Rohit and Kohli to be in imperious form during the ICC showpiece and set benchmarks for the next generation.
Kohli has slammed two consecutive centuries in the ongoing home series against South Africa, while Rohit has racked up two fifties and a 121 not out in his last four ODI innings.
"They have always scored runs and have always been great players for India, they have done extremely well as batters and are leaders of the team. I'm so happy for them, they are going very, very strong.
"Not just going strong but setting the example for the younger generation to follow and what it takes to be a champion. So, well done Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for setting the right example," Harbhajan remarked.
Team India have lost five of their last seven Test matches at home, which includes 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand and 0-2 series sweep against South Africa.
According to Harbhajan, India's biggest concern is the quality of pitches at home. "They have to start playing on good tracks. We don't give much chance to our batsmen to make runs. If we tour abroad our batsmen have a chance to make runs because the pitch is good for batting. The bowlers have to work hard.
"That is why I think it is high time that the pitches that have been made in the last 10-12 years are very bowler-friendly especially spinner-friendly. Spinners bowl with the new ball. I think somewhere we need to change that trend.
"I feel it is not the right kind of thing to do. Our team is so solid and we have played well in England. We will win even if we play for five days. Why are you looking to play two and half days of Test cricket?" he asked.
Commenting on the recently held Guwahati Test that lasted full five days, he added: "We saw in Guwahati that the pitch was very good but there we didn't play well on that pitch because we are not used to playing for five days in Test cricket."
Harbhajan said modern cricketers lack patience because of excessive T20 exposure and tracks like the one served in Kolkata against South Africa will deepen problems.
"...barring two or three of them, the others don't really have that much patience anymore. If we will continue to play on such tracks...it is no more interesting for anyone."
Harbhajan further stated that India can't produce a quality spinner by playing on rank-turners. "We have done a lot of bowling, we understand a little bit of cricket which we have learnt in 20 years. I feel it's high time we start playing on good tracks in India, simple as that."
(With PTI Inputs)
