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Legendary Kapil Dev has heaped praise on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, comparing the star Indian batters to legendary cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni. The former World Cup-winning captain believes the duo is irreplaceable and will be sorely missed in the shortest format after their retirement. India's historic T20 World Cup triumph, ending an 11-year ICC title drought, was made even sweeter by the exceptional performances of Sharma and Kohli.
Rohit, Virat are irreplaceable: Kapil Dev
"No one can take Virat and Rohit's place in the Indian team in any format. They have been a huge servant of Indian cricket and it was a happy farewell for them. The stature that Virat has made of himself in all formats, he will surely be missed in T20Is. Both are as same as Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni. They are irreplaceable," said Kapil dev to IANS.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli enjoyed fairytale endings to their T20I careers. Their final match saw India clinch the 2024 T20 World Cup title. Rohit became a two-time T20 World Cup champion as captain, while Kohli's Player of the Match performance in the final made him the second cricketer to win all three ICC white-ball trophies. As they retired, Rohit and Virat stood as the format's top two run-getters. Rohit amassed 4231 runs in 159 matches, averaging 32.05 with a strike rate of 140.89, including five centuries. Virat Kohli played 125 T20I matches, accumulating 4188 runs at an impressive average of 48.69 and a strike rate of 137.04. He hit one century during his T20I career.
Virat Kohli has completed his set of ICC limited-overs trophies, while Rohit Sharma eyes the elusive ODI World Cup. Despite his T20 World Cup triumphs, Rohit remains determined to lift the ODI crown. Both players will take a break from the ODI series against Sri Lanka before diving into a demanding Test schedule, including home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, culminating in a crucial Border-Gavaskar Trophy clash in Australia. The upcoming year presents significant opportunities for both Kohli and Rohit to expand their trophy collections. The Champions Trophy in Pakistan offers a chance to defend their 2013 title, while the World Test Championship remains a coveted prize for India. The duo will be eager to redeem themselves after the heart-breaking 2023 ODI World Cup final loss.
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