Former spinner Harbhajan Singh has backed Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, arguing that India need their experience, similar to Lionel Messi for Argentina in the recently held FIFA World Cup.
Kaif noted that experienced players provide crucial support and direction even when not starring on the scoreboard, similar to Lionel Messi for Argentina in the ongoing FIFA World Cup.
Rohit and Kohli called time on their Test careers within a gap of five days in May last year. Having retired from T20Is in 2024, the veteran campaigners are now only playing the ODI format.
With fewer ODIs being scheduled these days, questions remain over the ageing duo's participation in next year’s quadrennial event. Furthermore, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir have not given a firm commitment, keeping the decision on their involvement for the World Cup coy.
However, Harbhajan threw his weight behind the senior batters, who both had a productive series in England last month.
While Kohli scored a couple of half-centuries in three ODIs, Rohit brushed off retirement chatter by slamming 138 in the series-decider at Lord’s.
"Whoever the player is, I believe the marker should be performance, not age," Harbhajan said in a podcast interview with PTI.
"Virat may be 39 but if he is still beating those 20-year-old guys on the field, it (his age) doesn't matter. Look at Lionel Messi. At 40 (39), five men fail to stop him. If a player has that kind of fitness and skill where even five opponents can't keep him at bay, then we know that skill always takes precedence," he added.
Harbhajan credited Kohli with 90 percent of the team's fitness culture change, moving the standard from basic endurance to high-level agility.
"This change was first brought in by Virat Kohli when he became the captain in 2014-15. Before that we won't think that we can go for a chase of 400 on the final day. Virat told the boys, 'let's at least try. We might lose but if we keep trying one day we will surpass that 400 plus in last innings.'
"'If we have to get 10 wickets on last day, we will go for it. The winning mentality and not settle for draw is what Virat Kohli got," he remembered.
"But his biggest contribution was bringing in fitness culture. 90 per cent credit for creating the fitness revolution goes to Kohli. My idea of fitness was endurance but Virat made this team believe that if you are fit, you can fly around," Harbhajan pointed out.
Therefore, Harbhajan advised head coach Gautam Gambhir to value the 300-plus games of experience that Rohit and Virat bring over younger alternatives.
"If I were the coach, my job would be to give them the platform as my expectations from Rohit and Virat would be much higher than what I expect from a Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. These two have that experience. They have experience of 300 games which Sooryavanshi won't have. Yes, a Sooryavanshi can walk in and blast bowlers but Virat and Rohit have the experience," he explained.
"Fitness is a priority, and your performance matters. Performance is the ultimate criterion. So if these two score runs and can match the fitness of a Shreyas (Iyer) or a Yashasvi (Jaiswal), then nothing else matters," Harbhajan declared.
Harbhajan Singh believes Rohit and Kohli will know from within when to retire, drawing on his own experience where his body and the rise of Ravichandran Ashwin signaled the end of his career.
"Rohit and Virat will get their answer from within. You realise when you have reached that phase where you need to call time," he said.
"You realise that once you have reached a stage where if you want to survive, you have to work harder than before. You are in your mid-30s and you can't be expected to do what you did as an 18 or 20-year-old.
"At that stage, you are someone with 400 Test wickets and you are expected to perform at that level. A lot of players can recover from a dip in performance. But there would be another lot which would feel 'That's it, I can't stretch it any longer'," he said. "If you have it in you, no harm in pushing but if it is otherwise, then one should listen to one's body."
"Ashwin was already doing well... You have to accept the reality that this guy (Ashwin) is doing well. If I had to beat Ashwin, I would have had to start from scratch and work as much as I had worked for those first 400 wickets. Could I have done it? The answer came from within that I can't," he said.
Harbhajan also noted that the Indian team management has plenty of time to finalize its 2027 ODI World Cup squad.
"When you have too many options, that can also be a problem although it is good to have options. Now when it comes to the ODI World Cup, I believe six months prior to the event, the team management should be clear about the core team and players should know what their role is," he said.
(With PTI Inputs)
