The former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina has called on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to continue playing One Day Internationals for India, saying that their presence is still very important for the younger players in the team. He believes their experience of winning major tournaments and the leadership they bring to the dressing room can help guide the next generation of cricketers.
Suresh Raina made these remarks as questions have been raised about the future of both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the ODI format. While the two senior players have spoken about wanting to play in the 2027 World Cup in Africa, it is not clear where the BCCI stands.
Reports suggest that the board might want them to participate in domestic 50-over tournaments like the Vijay Hazare Trophy during their breaks from international cricket and if they don’t, they could risk being left out of the national ODI squad. A similar situation happened in Test cricket earlier this year when both Rohit and Kohli decided to retire from Tests soon after there was talk about them playing domestic red-ball cricket.
Suresh Raina said that players like Shubman Gill have performed very well but they still need the guidance of seniors like Rohit and Virat. He pointed out that both have won World Cups and Champions Trophies and Virat recently won the IPL title as well. According to Raina, their experience and smart leadership make them essential figures in the Indian dressing room.
By the time of the 2027 World Cup, Rohit will be 40 and Kohli 38. The BCCI will have to decide whether their experience is still beneficial enough to keep them in the team ahead of younger talents.
Suresh Raina also praised fast bowler Mohammed Siraj for his strong performances in recent matches, especially in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, saying that he should be included in all the formats. Siraj has been impressive in both Test and ODI cricket but has not played much T20I cricket.
Suresh Raina noted that Siraj bowled a large number of overs without injury and believes he deserves a consistent place in all the three formats for India. It remains to be seen whether Siraj will be selected for the 2025 Asia Cup, which will be played in the T20 format.
Suresh Raina’s comments highlight how important he believes experience and leadership are in building a balanced team, especially for future World Cups. Do you agree with him?
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