I believe Virat and Rohit have a lot of cricket left in them – Harbhajan Singh

As Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both have announced farewell from the shortest format of the game in the international circuit, it has opened up more scope of them playing the longer formats with more rest on offer.

However, one of the key questions that is circling around in the Indian cricket circuit is how long can these two play, and if the 2027 ODI World Cup is still on their agenda.

Talking to news agency PTI, Harbhajan Singh clarified that the two stalwarts of Indian cricket still have lots to offer and ideally can give any 19-year-old a run for his money.

Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were a part of the ODI series against Sri Lanka and with the Indian captain showing why he is still deemed as one of the finest openers in world cricket, discussions again soared through the roof about their availability for the next ODI World Cup.

Harbhajan said, “Rohit can easily play for two more years. You never know with Virat Kohli's fitness, you can see him competing for five years. He is probably the fittest guy in the team.”

He further added, “You ask any 19-year-old competing with Virat (on fitness). Virat will beat him. He is that fit. I believe Virat and Rohit have a lot of cricket left in them and it is entirely up to them. If they are fit enough, they are performing and the team is winning, they should continue to play. As simple as that.”

He concluded with a note for the selectors, stating, “Red ball cricket, you really need these two guys to play a little bit more than what people are asking. You need experience in all formats whether its limited overs cricket and Test cricket. You need experienced cricketers to nurture the talent that is coming up. Selectors need to see, that if someone is not performing well, they should be dropped. Whether they are senior player or juniors. But as long as everyone is fit, they should be able to get selected in the team.”