BCCI told to phase out Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma before it's too late: 'How will you keep Pant, Sudharsan, Jaiswal out?'
The Dainik Jagran stated 24 hours ago that unless Kohli and Rohit agree to play the next Vijay Hazare Trophy, the ODIs in Australia could well be their last in India colours. Having already retired from Tests and T20Is, the ODIs and the IPL are all they have, and to keep up with match practice and form, every opportunity they get must be cashed in. However, a report in the PTI quoted a source saying that no such discussion has taken place and that Rohit and Kohli's case will only be looked at after the conclusion of next year's T20 World Cup, which, at the moment, is BCCI's priority.
The topic has since kept gaining momentum. After former India captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly added fuel to the Ro-Ko buzz, another BCCI selector feels the board must prepare for a life without Kohli and Rohit. Devang Gandhi, a former BCCI national selector, reckons Kohli and Rohit must be phased out because of the long queue of youngsters ready to take ODI by storm. High on the heels of the England tour, Gandhi is confident that nurturing young blood and grooming talent is the way forward for Indian cricket, even if that means bidding adieu to two of its greatest cricketers of the last decade and more.
"How will you make players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Sai Sudharshan, among others, sit out when they have shown how well they can adapt? The bigger transition is from T20s to Tests. Once a player has done well in Test cricket and has the power game, ODIs should come easier to them. It is very important that the selectors and the team management sit together and take a call," Gandhi told Times of India.
'Time doesn't wait for anybody'
Gandhi's strong opinion could stem from India's solid showing by its batters in England. After Kohli and Rohit's retirement from Test cricket, across a gap of five days, it appeared as if India would struggle. But the eventual outcome was anything but that as the youngsters stepped, fighting tooth and nail to heroically draw the series 2-2. Furthermore, with no shortage of talent lined up in ODIs, Indian cricket seems to be in good hands, but if the youngsters aren't looked after properly, its present and future could be in jeopardy, asserts Gandhi.
"If, say, in a year's time, we come to a situation where one of them is not firing and we need a replacement, the team management may not have enough time to prepare a player for the job. There's absolutely no doubt about the contribution of Rohit and Virat. But time doesn't wait for anybody," he added.
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