Having retired from T20Is and Tests in the 2024-25 season, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma remain active for India only in ODIs. Both of them dominated the 50-over format last year, finishing as India’s leading and second highest run-scorers respectively.
Despite their impressive show, the selectors and team management have remained non-committal regrading the veteran duo’s participation in the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.
Speaking on the same line, former England spinner Graeme Swann highlighted that scrutiny on the future is an inevitable reality for all legendary cricketers near the end of their careers.
With India traveling to England in July for a highly anticipated three-match ODI series following their Afghanistan assignment, Swann believes the spotlight on India's seasoned batters and emerging talents will only intensify.
"Absolutely. I think it's inevitable with any player when you come to the latter stage of your career, the second half of your career, if you like, that people naturally start looking for your successor, no matter how well you do," Swann told PTI Videos in an exclusive interview.
"And even if you're at the top of your game, they're still looking like, who will be the next Virat? Who will be the next Rohit when they go? That's very natural,” he added.
Swann also singled out the meteoric rise of teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as indicator of the exciting talent pool waiting in the wings.
"And the second you have one or two low scores, everyone starts looking over your shoulder and seeing who's next in line. And obviously, with Sooryavanshi coming through and some of the youngsters, it puts even more onus on the guys, especially at the top of the order for India," he remarked.
According to Swann, the coming weeks could prove vital for Rohit as India continue balancing established stars with emerging talent.
"So I think it's a huge six weeks for Rohit. But like I said, in the IPL, he looks in great touch and he's still one of the best players going, let's face it.
"So if I was an English bowler, I wouldn't really want to bowl against a Rohit Sharma who's desperate to prove a point and keep his place."
Swann believes the high-profile series in England will put the focus back on Kohli and Rohit. "Yeah, it's going to be huge. Anytime England play India, it's a massive series, especially recently. And with all the nonsense going on in England as well, I think they'll really appreciate a bit of spotlight going on the actual cricket rather than off the field stuff."
The former off-spinner refrained from describing the England series as a make-or-break assignment for India's senior batters ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup.
"From an English point of view, England will hope that Virat and Rohit are sidetracked by a World Cup coming and not thinking about that because that will affect performance.
"India have got to make sure they're not sidetracked by that. But this is Rohit and Virat. They know what they're doing and they'll go out there.
"It should be, touch wood, should be dry and the ball shouldn't do too much at that time.
"The white ball tends to be easier to bat against than the red ball in England. So it could be very good batting conditions for both of them, which doesn't augur very well for England.
Swann also heaped praise on 15-year-old batting sensation Sooryavanshi, who earned his maiden national call-up for India’s upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England following a breathtaking IPL 2026 campaign.
"Yes, he's a special talent. Like I said earlier, I wouldn't want to bowl him. He's at that age that he's completely fearless because he's not had failure.
"But, you know, having done well before and big runs in the under-19s, going into the IPL and people saying, you know, after he got a couple of starts and then you remember people bowled yorkers and said, 'Oh, we've found him out.
"You can't do it time and time and time again against world-class bowlers. But he got better and better as the IPL went on. And those couple of 90s in the playoffs, they were ridiculous. I was there for one of them, the one in Chandigarh. It was the most audacious knock from a 15-year-old kid. He is world-class and I'm glad I'm not playing anymore."
Graeme Swann expressed surprise at the BCCI selection committee’s decision to replace Suryakumar Yadav as India's T20I captain despite the batter leading the team to World Cup glory.
"You know, I didn't see it coming, but I understand that Indian cricket, because of the IPL and because of the time of year that these squads get picked, it almost seemed like it was on the cards, rightly or wrongly, but I think SKY is brilliant.
"I loved his captaincy. I think he's very good. Ever since he stood up to Virat at that time in the IPL, for an Indian player to stand up to a legend like that and just say, 'Hey, come on, it's not all about you', I've loved him since then."
Swann also expressed his admiration for India's new left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who claimed six wickets on his Test debut against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh last week.
"He is gold dust. I'm telling you this now. And I know people will get carried away saying he's only played one Test. After he bowled about 10 balls, just watching his action, the way it came out of his hand, everything. He is gold dust. He's a world-class spinner and will be for 10 years. Just trust me on this. And I wish he was English."
(With PTI Inputs)
