England’s star batter Joe Root feels it’s not a good idea to write off players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma just because they are on the wrong side of 30s.
Kohli and Rohit are currently featuring in the Asia Cup 2023. The duo is having a great time in the continental tournament, which is great for the Indian team considering that the ODI World Cup is around the corner.
While the 36-year-old Rohit is the highest run-getter in the ongoing edition of Asia Cup with 194 runs at an average of 64.67, Kohli, who will turn 35 in about two months, has scored 129 runs so far at an average of 64.50.
“I think it's very dangerous just to write off players like Virat and Rohit because of their age. Look at how long Chris Gayle, for example, played T20 cricket. Some of the best players in the world have gone longer, especially in T20 cricket, and have been wonderful with their performances. As long as you're fit, you go on and play,” Root told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive chat.
“Jimmy Anderson is a perfect example you look at. He is over 40, he's still performing exceptionally well. We're very fortunate that we've not lost out on that because we think he's too old. He's still playing and he's still leading our attack. And we're using all that experience and skill to our advantage. We're seeing him as a talent and ability and a wonderful player on his own. It's always dangerous when you start looking at - is it time for the end of a career? I think you've got to look at performances and what they bring to the team,” he explained.
Usually, it’s tough for the teams to find replacements for great players and Root refrained from naming the batters who he thinks can fill the shoes of Kohli and Rohit.
“That's very difficult to answer. That's not for me to say. The two of them are wonderful players across all formats, leading players, and have both had to shoulder a lot of pressure for a number of years. When it comes to representing India, it's impressive how consistent they've been for such a long period of time. And you know, as a fellow professional, you look at them, you look to learn and take lessons from their game,” the former England captain remarked.
Virat Kohli has represented India in 111 Tests, 279 ODIs and 115 T20Is so far, amassing 25000+ runs across formats with 77 centuries.
On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has played 52 Tests, 248 ODIs and 148 T20Is thus far to aggregate over 17000 international runs. The elegant opener has 44 international hundreds to his name and is the only batter to score three double tons in ODIs.
