Afghanistan`s all-rounder Gulbadin Naib heaped praise on Team India stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma by saying that the duo should play in all three formats of the game for at least four years.
His comments came after Kohli attained the second ranking in the latest ICC Men`s ODI rankings, while Rohit continued to enjoy the top spot. The duo announced their retirements from the shortest format after Team India`s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph and Test Cricket earlier this year.
Speaking about them, the all-rounder said that they are big players.
“Both of them are very big players [Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli]. I can only say one thing. I won`t talk much about it. They should play in all three formats for at least four years,” said Naib.
Both Rohit and Virat had successful outings in the recent three-match ODI series against South Africa. Kohli slammed two consecutive centuries and registered a half-century in the third game. On the other hand, Rohit continued to showcase his elegant strokes at the top.
Kohli was adjudged “Player of the Series” for his 302 runs across the three matches, and Rohit amassed 146 runs across the Proteas series to hold on to his spot at the top of the rankings.
The Nagpur-born cricketer also became the fourth Indian cricketer to complete 20,000 runs in International cricket. The other three cricketers are Sachin Tendulkar (34,257 runs), Kohli (27,910 runs) and Rahul Dravid (24,064 runs) in the all-time international charts.
IND vs SA T20Is: Latest scenario of the ongoing series
Currently, the “Men in Blue” under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav are busy engaging in the five-match T20I series against the Proteas. The series is tied at 1-1, with both teams looking to take an edge in the contest, which serves as a preparatory series for the T20 World Cup 2026.
The third T20I match between Team India and South Africa is scheduled to be played on December 14 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala.
The sale of T20 World Cup 2026 ticket prices has begun as low as Rs 100 or LKR 1000 (in Sri Lanka) in phase 1 for some venues. The marquee event will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, which will kick off from February 7.
(With ANI Inputs)