Ricky Ponting has added his voice to the ongoing debate around Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s future in international cricket
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are again at the centre of talk around India’s ODI setup for the 2027 World Cup. Both of them have made it clear in the past that they would like to be part of one more World Cup cycle, but there is still no clarity on whether the team management and BCCI are fully on the same page about it.
Kohli was part of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad under MS Dhoni, while Rohit is still without that trophy despite being part of several campaigns since then. Both have now stepped away from Test cricket and are only active in the white-ball format, which makes their game time heavily dependent on ODIs and the IPL.
Ricky Ponting has added his voice to the ongoing debate around Kohli and Rohit’s future in international cricket, backing the experienced duo to keep pushing for a spot in India’s 2027 World Cup plans.
“I can see them pushing ahead and trying to get there. One thing I’ve always said about champion players is you never say no. You never write them off,” Ponting, the head coach of Punjab Kings in the IPL, told PTI.
Ponting doubled down on his belief that the Indian duo still have plenty to offer at the highest level, pointing to their performances and mindset in the ongoing IPL as clear evidence that age has not dimmed their competitive edge.
“Virat’s been a good example of that again through this IPL. He’s not playing as much international cricket as he once was, but that determination and want to win is still there. Rohit Sharma has turned up at this IPL in better physical condition than I’ve seen him probably in about 10 or 12 years. “So the passion is still there for those guys to push on and make themselves the best players they can be. So like I said, you never say never,” added the Australian icon.
