Refusing to be committal about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's future, new India head coach Gautam Gambhir said that both the senior players still "have a lot of cricket in them" and that any such decision must be taken by the players themselves. Gambhir was speaking at his first press conference as coach, ahead of India's departure for the Sri Lanka white-ball tour. (Highlights | More Cricket News)
Asked about Rohit and Virat's role going ahead, Gambhir said: "I think they've shown what they can deliver at the big stage, whether it is the T20 World Cup or the ODI World Cup. I think both those guys have a lot more to offer.
"We've got the Champions Trophy, a tour of Australia, so they will be motivated. Hopefully they can keep their fitness till the 2027 ODI World Cup. To say how much cricket is left in them is difficult. Any team that has players of their class would love to have them for as long as possible.
He added that retirement is a personal decision, and it was up to the players to decide how long they wished to continue playing. Both Rohit and Virat have retired from the T20I format after India's World Cup triumph last month. They will both play the ODI series against Sri Lanka.
Gambhir further said that his relationship with Virat Kohli "is not public", and it is between the two individuals. "Good for the TRP, but my relationship is not public. What kind of a relationship I share with Virat Kohli... I think it's between two mature individuals," Gambhir said.
He added, "On the field, everyone has got the right to fight for their own jersey and come back to a winning dressing room. But at the moment, we're representing India, representing 140 crore Indians and I'm sure we're going to be on the same page and try and make India proud."
Regarding workload management, Gambhir said that different yardsticks should apply to a fast bowler like Jasprit Bumrah and batters like Rohit and Virat.
"I've said it before, workload management for someone like Jasprit (Bumrah) is important. He is one rare bowler, which anyone would want. You want him to play important games. That's why the workload management for not just him but fast bowlers is important.
"If you are a batter, who's batting well, you might as well just play all formats. Rohit and Virat have retired from T20Is now, so they will play two formats from now. Hopefully they are available for most of the games," Gambhir said.
