MUMBAI: Former India captain Kapil Dev has termed Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma “irreplaceable”, saying no one can take their place in the team in any format.
Kohli and Sharma have been playing for India for a long time now and both players have made an unparalleled history of the sport. Dev believes they have the same status as Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni in Indian cricket.
“No one can take away Virat and Rohit’s place in the Indian team in any format. The character that Virat has made himself in all formats will surely be missed in T20Is Both are the same as Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni, they are irreplaceable,” Dev told IANS.
After India’s T20 World Cup win, Kohli immediately announced his retirement during the post-match ceremony, saying it was time for the next generation to take over. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma confirmed during the post-match press conference that he too is leaving the shorter format.
Rohit and Kohli’s exit from the T20I format was not entirely unexpected. Neither player featured in any T20I after India’s semi-final defeat at the 2022 World T20 Cup and they resumed T20I play only this January with their sights set on the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Kohli ended his 125-match T20I career as India’s second-highest run-scorer in the format — 4,188 at an average of 48.69 and a strike rate of 137.04.
Meanwhile, Rohit left the format as its highest run-scorer – 4,231 runs in 159 matches – and also holds the record for the most centuries (five) in T20 internationals.
