The competition for every spot in the Indian team is intense, and even the bona fide legends will have to fight to stay in contention for the next ODI World Cup, which is still nearly two years away, feels Ravi Shastri. The ongoing three-match ODI series against Australia has seen two of India’s finest white-ball batters, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, make their long-awaited competitive returns. Both failed in the series opener in Perth before Rohit scored a fine half-century in Adelaide, but Kohli has failed to score a single run in either of the two matches as India conceded a 0-2 lead.
Former India head coach Shastri has warned that the next World Cup is a “long way off” for Kohli, and he will have to score big quickly.
“He’ll have to get some
form pretty quickly. The competition for places in India’s white-ball cricket is such that no one can afford to relax—whether it’s Virat, Rohit, or anyone else in the team. It’s not going to be easy; there is competition,” Shastri said on Fox Sports.
Speaking with the ICC, Shastri had recently hailed the contribution of both Rohit and Kohli in Indian cricket.
“The contribution is not over two or three years. The contribution is over a decade, a decade and a half in the case of Virat,” Shastri said. “It’s massive, and people don’t forget that. And they’ve played against some of the best bowlers that have been part of the game. It’s special. Their legacy will remain. Whether they finish tomorrow or they finish the day after or whenever. That legacy will remain.”
Rohit and Kohli have retired from Tests and T20Is and are only available to play ODIs now. With them now only playing one format and the IPL, questions have been raised over their match practice and form.
Following the conclusion of a two-match Test series against West Indies earlier this month, current India head coach Gautam Gambhir had refused to speculate about whether Rohit and Kohli remain part of his World Cup plans.
“Look, 50-over World Cup is still two-and-a-half years away, and I think it is very important to stay in the present. That is very important. Obviously, they are quality players, they are coming back, their experience is going to be a handful in Australia as well. Hopefully, those two guys will have a successful tour, and more importantly, as a team, we will have a successful series,” he said.
