Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly believes it will be challenging for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to maintain their fitness and secure spots in India's ODI World Cup squad in 2027, as they will have limited playing opportunities with only 15 international games per year until then.
The next ODI World Cup is set to take place in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. By then, Kohli will be 38 years old, and Rohit will be approaching 40.
India has 27 ODIs scheduled across nine bilateral series before the World Cup, averaging about 15 international games annually for both players.
"All of us must understand, just like everyone, the game will go away from them and they will go away from the game," Ganguly told PTI.
"It won't be easy, with 15 games a year," he added.
Both Kohli and Rohit, who have accumulated 25,000 runs and 83 international hundreds between them, have expressed their desire to play in the 50-over global event after recently retiring from Test cricket.
When asked if he had any advice for them, Ganguly responded, "I have got no advice. I think they know the game as much I do. They will take a call."
Ganguly acknowledged that finding a replacement for Kohli would take time but expressed no concerns about Indian cricket's future after their retirement.
"I was not concerned at all. Virat is a class player. Finding his replacement will take time. But the rest, I wasn't surprised," he stated.
Speaking about former player Yuvraj Singh , Ganguly praised his exceptional white-ball cricket career while noting his limited opportunities in Test matches.
"I remember seeing Yuvraj for the first time in Nairobi and saw that he is special. What he went on to do for India after that in one-day cricket is unreal. He was 2007 World T20 player of the series, 2011 World Cup, player of the series, runs, wickets fielding, he was special," Ganguly recalled.
"Unfortunately he did not get many opportunities in Test matches. He played about 30 odd Test matches, he got stuck between Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly and VVS Laxman, but a special player," he concluded.
The next ODI World Cup is set to take place in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. By then, Kohli will be 38 years old, and Rohit will be approaching 40.
India has 27 ODIs scheduled across nine bilateral series before the World Cup, averaging about 15 international games annually for both players.
"All of us must understand, just like everyone, the game will go away from them and they will go away from the game," Ganguly told PTI.
"It won't be easy, with 15 games a year," he added.
Both Kohli and Rohit, who have accumulated 25,000 runs and 83 international hundreds between them, have expressed their desire to play in the 50-over global event after recently retiring from Test cricket.
When asked if he had any advice for them, Ganguly responded, "I have got no advice. I think they know the game as much I do. They will take a call."
Ganguly acknowledged that finding a replacement for Kohli would take time but expressed no concerns about Indian cricket's future after their retirement.
"I was not concerned at all. Virat is a class player. Finding his replacement will take time. But the rest, I wasn't surprised," he stated.
Speaking about former player Yuvraj Singh , Ganguly praised his exceptional white-ball cricket career while noting his limited opportunities in Test matches.
"I remember seeing Yuvraj for the first time in Nairobi and saw that he is special. What he went on to do for India after that in one-day cricket is unreal. He was 2007 World T20 player of the series, 2011 World Cup, player of the series, runs, wickets fielding, he was special," Ganguly recalled.
"Unfortunately he did not get many opportunities in Test matches. He played about 30 odd Test matches, he got stuck between Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly and VVS Laxman, but a special player," he concluded.
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