"Stay fit and keep playing as long as you are enjoying the game" - Kapil Dev on when Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma should retire
Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev believes that cricketers should play the game as long as they are fit and enjoying the sport. Responding to a query on when current Team India legends like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma should hang their boots, he added that it's up to the individuals to decide.
Kohli will turn 36 in November this year, while Rohit celebrated his 37th birthday in April. Both announced their retirement from T20Is after India's victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States but are still active in the two other formats.
On the big question of the timing of Rohit and Kohli's retirement, Hindustan Times quoted Kapil as telling MyKhel:
"Ravi Shastri retired at a very early age while Sachin Tendulkar had a longer stint. So it is completely up to the individual to decide their ways of life. My way of thinking is to stay fit and keep playing as long as you are enjoying the game."
Kapil, though, opined that a cricketer is at his peak between the ages of 26 and 34. The 1983 World Cup-winning captain said:
"In my opinion, the period between 26 and 34 years is your prime and thereafter the fitness of the players will ensure their longevity."
Kapil had retired from international cricket at the age of 35 in 1994. In a decorated career, he played 131 Tests and 225 ODIs, claiming 434 and 253 wickets respectively. With the willow, the hard-hitting batter contributed 5,248 runs in Tests and 3,783 runs in one-dayers.
How have Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli fared in international cricket in 2024?
If we take a look at the international records of the two India stalwarts in 2024, Rohit has played 21 matches (27 innings) and scored 1,001 runs at an average of 41.70, with three hundreds and six half-centuries.
As for Kohli, he has 319 runs in 15 matches (17 innings) at an average of 18.76, with only one half-century.
Looking at their records format-wise, Rohit has 466 runs in seven Tests at an average of 38.83, with two tons. In ODIs, he has 157 runs in three games at an average of 52.33, with two half-centuries. The Hitman also played 11 T20Is, smashing 378 runs at an average of 42 and a strike rate of 160.16, with one hundred and three half-centuries.
Meanwhile, Kohli has scored 81 runs in two Tests in 2024 at an average of 20.25. Further, he has managed only 58 runs in three ODIs, averaging 19.33 and 180 runs in 10 T20Is at an average of 18 and a strike rate of 119.20.