Yograj Singh Attacks Kohli-Rohit: 'Can Still Play For Another 5 Years...'
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Yograj Singh lashed out at Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for retiring from Tests, saying they had five more years.
Yograj Singh came down heavily on Indian cricket legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for retiring from Test cricket as the Indian men's team prepares for the tour of England. The former Indian cricketer, who is also the father of Yuvraj Singh, clarified that the baton of leadership had been thrown at Shubman Gill, not passed.
Yograj said he is certain that Rohit and Kohli had at least five more years of Test cricket left in them and should have played in the England series, which gets the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle underway.
'Virat and Rohit can still play for another 5 years in Test cricket. They should have played," Yograj was quoted as saying to InsideSport.
'They should be there to see that the baton is passed to the youngsters," he added
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli surprised the cricketing fraternity by announcing their retirements from the longest format within a week of each other last month, less than a year after both stalwarts retired from Twenty20 Internationals following India's T20 World Cup victory. The pair are only available to represent India in One-Day Internationals.
Yograj stressed the significance of proper leadership transition to the next generation, citing former India captain Sourav Ganguly as an example.
'What Sourav Ganguly did: nine senior players and six youngsters. The baton has not been passed; it has been thrown to Gill," Yograj said.
'He is a great player and he's lucky to have Yuvraj Singh as his mentor. To have a tiger and a lion behind you, he will tell you all the time what to do," he added.
'They should be there to ensure the baton is passed to the youngsters, just like Sourav Ganguly did. The baton has not been passed; it has been thrown to Gill," Yograj said.
The five-match Test series against England on June 22 at Headingley, Leeds, marks Gill's first assignment as India's Test captain. The top-order batsman previously led a second-string Indian side on the tour of Zimbabwe last year. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has been named Gill's deputy by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee.
First Published:
June 15, 2025, 15:50 IST
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