Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has reignited his long-standing rivalry with current India head coach Gautam Gambhir while throwing weight behind Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Speaking to Telecom Asia Sport, Afridi said both batting stalwarts remain central to India’s ODI setup and efforts to sideline them make little sense.

“It’s a fact that Virat and Rohit are the backbone of the Indian batting line-up,” Afridi said, highlighting their strong recent form.

“The way they have played in the recent ODI series, it can confidently be said that they can play until the 2027 World Cup.”

The ex-Pakistan captain suggested the Indian team management to rotate them only in low-stakes series. He added, “You need to preserve both these stars. When India is playing against a weaker team, they can try some new players and rest Virat and Rohit.”

But Afridi reserved his sharpest comments for India’s chief coach. He remarked, “The way Gautam started his stint, it looked like he thought that what he thinks and says is right, but after some time, it was proved that you are not always right.”

While India’s white-ball side has performed exceptionally well under Gautam Gambhir, winning Champions Trophy and Asia Cup, that success has not translated to the traditional format.

With Gambhir at the helm, India have won seven, lost 10 and drew two of their 19 Tests so far, which includes a couple of whitewashes against New Zealand (0-3) and South Africa (0-2) at home.

The team also conceded the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-3 in Australia. The only Test series wins under Gambhir's tenure have come against Bangladesh and the West Indies at home.

On a separate note, Shahid Afridi reacted to Rohit Sharma breaking his ODI sixes record, applauding the former India captain’s achievement. “Records are meant to be broken, and this too is now bettered,” Afridi said. “I am happy that a player whom I have always liked has broken this record.”

Rohit surpassed Afridi’s 351 sixes during India’s second ODI against South Africa in Raipur last week, and now has 355 sixes to his name in the 50-over format.

Afridi recalled his early impressions of Rohit from their time together at Deccan Chargers in the inaugural IPL season. “During practice sessions, I watched him bat, and his class impressed me. I knew that one day Rohit would play for India, and he has proved himself as a classy batter,” he said.