Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer has sparked speculation about the future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in international T20 cricket. In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Jaffer expressed his belief that the two veteran batters will not continue to play T20Is after the ongoing T20 World Cup. While they were initially given a chance to make their T20I comebacks ahead of the World Cup, Jaffer reckons that they will only feature in the shorter format for the last time at the T20 World Cup.
Jaffer’s comment comes as no surprise, given that Rohit Sharma is already 37 years old and has shown signs of slowing down in recent times. Moreover, the Indian team is likely to start planning for a captaincy transition, especially in the Test format, and Jaffer believes that Kohli will not take the captaincy back. The selectors might look elsewhere for a new captain, with options like Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Jasprit Bumrah available.
Rohit Sharma (Via Rohit Sharma/Twitter)
Jaffer also shared his thoughts on Kohli’s future beyond T20Is, stating that he will continue to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but will not feature in international T20Is. According to Jaffer, Kohli’s supreme fitness and his consistent scoring ability will help him go on to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record of a hundred international hundreds. Kohli is currently 35 years old and has already registered 80 international hundreds, with his latest century coming against New Zealand in the semifinal of the 2023 World Cup.
Jaffer’s statement has left fans wondering about the future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in T20 cricket, while also expressing his confidence in Kohli’s ability to break Tendulkar’s record. It remains to be seen how the selectors and the Indian team management respond to these comments and what the future holds for the two veteran batters.
