The future of veteran batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli has been heavily discussed as the Indian team prepares for the 2027 ICC World Cup. This was reportedly one of the reasons for Ajit Agarkar’s departure as BCCI chief selector. Agarkar reportedly fell out with the BCCI over Rohit Sharma’s future and hence hasn’t sought any extension of his tenure.
On September 3, after a meeting held at its office in Mumbai, the secretary of BCCI, Devajit Saikia, made an attempt to clarify the situation surrounding the career of Rohit Sharma in ODIs. In light of the debate surrounding the issue, former Indian fast bowler and the Chief Selector, Chetan Sharma, backed 39-year-old Rohit Sharma.
"I can understand that people are saying a hundred things. I have been a cricketer too, so I respect and love them as cricketers. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are the 'Kohinoors' of Indian cricket. Age is just a number. If they are good, then why not (can they continue)? I myself was a selector. Rohit recently scored a century. Virat, every game he gets one. Then what is the problem? We want players who can win games for us, and they both are capable of doing it," Sharma told Times of India.
Chetan Sharma, who was the first Indian to take a hat-trick in World Cups, confessed that he was a big fan of the superstar batters.
"I love watching them when they come and bat for India and they win trophies for us. Rohit won us a trophy after so many years (when he captained India to their second T20 World Cup triumph, and first in 17 years). We should be grateful. We should not listen to other people," Sharma stated.
Asked specifically if he wished Rohit and Kohli to play in the ODI World Cup next year, Sharma stated, "If they are fit, they are getting the runs, then why not? I am asking this question to everyone."
Chetan Sharma refused to entertain queries about the rumored tiff between Ajit Agarkar and BCCI with regard to Rohit Sharma’s ODI future, which led to Agarkar reportedly not seeking an extension to his chief selector tenure.
"I won't go into that. When I was the chief selector, we made Rohit the captain. We trusted him; that's why we made him the captain. Virat was always an asset for Indian cricket. As I said, if they are fit, they are getting runs for India, then we should be happy," Sharma asserted.
Chetan Sharma was pleased to see that BCCI made it mandatory for all Indian players to play domestic cricket as long as they are fit and available.
"When I was the India chief selector, my thinking was that if you are doing well in domestic cricket, you should be given a chance. The BCCI spends so much money and effort to organize domestic cricket. We have to respect domestic cricket. Recently, I saw an article that the BCCI told everyone about domestic cricket. So, my dream has come true, and I am really thankful to the BCCI for this. You must play in the Ranji Trophy or first-class cricket if you are fit,” Sharma said.
Chetan Sharma also backed both the Indian men’s and women’s teams to win a gold medal in the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi, Nagoya, in Japan.
(Times of India inputs)
