Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has come out in strong support of the Indian veteran batting duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who have been facing extreme pressure ahead of the ICC ODI World Cup 2027.
Speaking exclusively to PTI, Bhajji has asserted that the Indian cricketing fraternity should judge their performances instead of their age, adding that Kohli has still been beating the 20-year-old youngsters in terms of performances on the field.
“I think the answer regarding their future will come from within for them, and I think instead of judging them by their age, their performances should be judged instead. If he is still beating those 20-year-old guys in terms of performances on the field, it does not matter. Look at Messi, even at 40, 5 people can’t catch him,” Harbhajan Singh told PTI.
“So, if someone is as skillful as Messi, where even five people cannot catch him if they try, then that skill should be considered, right? Age is just a number. I think fitness is the priority and then the performances speak for itself,” he added
Furthermore, the former Indian cricketer has also reckoned that the Indian team should have more experienced players when they travel to the mega event in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
“If I was the Indian coach, I would 100 percent back the players who want to play and win. Providing the platform for them is my side of the story. There is a lot of expectation from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, but he does not have the experience of playing 300 matches like Virat and Rohit. That experience in itself is huge,” Harbhajan concluded.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma put up strong batting displays in India’s recent three-match ODI series vs England. Rohit averaged 58.33 with a brilliant 138 at Lord’s, while Kohli averaged 48.
