By Boria Majumdar
Performance. That’s the only index in sport. Rohit scored 200-plus runs in the three-match ODI series in Australia. Virat scored a magical hundred in Ranchi. As long as they score, and score like this, where is the need for any talk on whether they will find a place in the team? Of course they will, and it is a given. If a batter scores runs at a decent strike rate, all debate is put to rest and the matter is closed. While it isn’t necessary to comment on the 2027 World Cup just yet, suffice it to say both have shown enough hunger to hint at what they intend to do.
Late in his innings, Kohli was seen getting a quick massage on his back from the physio. Perhaps it was stiffness due to a lack of game time. But just as the physio moved away, he literally sprang up and started jogging towards the batting crease. By then he was already past a hundred. If that isn’t an index of fitness, God knows what is.
Rohit and Kohli have both proved that they have the hunger. They have shown that they have the game and the necessary fitness. At the moment, they are the first two names in the team sheet, and there can’t be any debate over it.
Coming to the issue of domestic cricket, if there is a protocol in place, of course they should play. But there must also be proper dialogue and communication. If the hunger to play for India is as strong as it appears, there is no reason for either to turn things down.
As for Virat’s innings, the acceleration after reaching his century was evidence of how good he is. Let’s be candid, he is the greatest ODI batter of all time, with the only comparison being Sachin. In white-ball cricket, he is peerless. Fifty-two hundreds don’t come for nothing, and the manner in which he has scored them is exemplary. Seeing that KL wasn’t timing the ball well, Virat ensured he pushed things along and allowed KL that little extra time to find form. That’s game awareness. That’s what batting for your partner is all about.
Coming to Rohit, the way he celebrated Virat’s century should warm every fan’s heart. They are backing each other, and that only augurs well for Indian cricket. India needed this badly from the duo after what happened in the red-ball series. While things should never be swept under the carpet, and white-ball success can’t substitute for red-ball struggles, the truth is the fans needed this. Every seat in Ranchi was taken, and every mobile phone in the country must have followed Kohli’s hundred. That’s what these two are capable of, and that’s why they are good for the sport. Let’s enjoy them for as long as they are around and end this retirement debate once and for all. They are playing as well as they ever have, and it is time to soak it all in.
Follow Revsportz for latest sports news
