Harbhajan Singh's Bold Prediction: 19-year-old Cricketers Will Outshine Kohli in Team India's Future

Is the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup the final hurrah for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the shortest format of the game? Both players have shifted their focus to the traditional formats after leading India to victory in the ICC tournament. Rohit led the team in the final, while Kohli's brilliant performance against South Africa secured India's second T20 World Cup title in the Caribbean.

Returning to the fold after a triumphant campaign at the T20 World Cup, Rohit and Kohli headlined India's squad for the One Day International (ODI) series against Sri Lanka. The batting icons have recorded contrasting outings in the Gautam Gambhir era. Captain Rohit finished the series as the leading run-getter while Kohli averaged only 19.33 in the three ODIs against Sri Lanka. India will only play three more ODIs before next year's ICC Champions Trophy.

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'Rohit can easily play for two more years'

Speaking to news agency PTI after the Sri Lanka series, legendary cricketer Harbhajan Singh observed that skipper Rohit can represent India for two more years. The spin-bowling icon also added that Kohli can compete at the highest level for five 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 said.

‘Ask any 19-year-old competing with Virat…’

“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,” Harbhajan added.

Harbhajan also backed Kohli and Rohit in spearheading the Indian side, especially in the longest format. India will next meet Bangladesh in its home assignment. Rohit and Co. will host Bangladesh for two Tests and three T20Is next month. India are at the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) standings with six wins, two defeats and one draw.

"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," Harbhajan concluded.

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