(AFP Photo)
Harbhajan Singh believes that senior Indian players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are capable of extending their international careers as long as they choose to. He thinks Kohli’s exceptional fitness could keep him in the game for another five years, while Rohit, who leads in Test and ODI formats, might continue for at least a couple more years.
“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,” Harbhajan told PTI Videos in an exclusive interview.
“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,” the man with 700 plus international wickets said.
Harbhajan feels that Test cricket is a format where the presence of both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is essential.
“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.”
He further said: “And if they are not contributing in any manner, whether its fitness or number of runs, then the time has come. They should be making way for the youngsters.
“At the end of the day, it’s an individual decision and selectors are there to watch these steps as to who are capable to perform at what age. Obviously, they are considering all those factors before picking them.”
