Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir must negotiate with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma with care and sensitivity

[rollingstoned]

Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir must negotiate with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma with care and sensitivity

 

ByR Kaushik

Mar 11, 2025 10:42 AM IST

 

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli aren’t just among the greatest white-ball batters of their generation or of their country, but the greatest of all time.

This was Sourav Ganguly on 7 October 2008, two days before the start of the first of four Tests against Australia at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium. A routine press conference ended with this dramatic announcement, after which the former skipper flashed a charming smile and walked away without taking questions. Ganguly always had a feel for drama, right?

 

Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar are expected to have a word with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma(PTI)

 

“One more thing. I'm not going to retire from this format, just to make sure that no rumours are spread moving forward.”

 

 

So said Rohit Sharma on 9 March 2025, an hour or so after piloting India to their record third Champions Trophy title on Sunday. The rumour mills had been working overtime in the days leading up to the final against New Zealand. Some termed it the last dance, others insisted that the captain had been pushed into a corner, that he had no choice but to walk away.

How wrong we all were to be proved.

Rohit, who ended India’s 11-year wait for an ICC trophy in the Caribbean last June (at the T20 World Cup) and added a second eight and a half months later, has revealed his cards. ‘This format’ has left the door open for speculation, but let’s hold our horses on that front for now. By his own admission, he isn’t done with 50-over internationals. And India have quite a few of them lined up this year, but none until August when they travel to Bangladesh.

That three-match series will be followed by two subsequent such showdowns – in Australia in October and at home against South Africa in the month after that. For now, Rohit is available for those nine games.

His partner-in-crime – mostly on and sometimes off -- for a decade and a half hasn’t made any public pronouncements regarding his ODI future, which potentially means his last dance is still ahead of him. Virat Kohli was the first of three, ahead of Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja, to quit T20Is after the World Cup triumph. It must be assumed that like his successor, he isn’t done with the longer white-ball version yet, though he did say that he felt the team was in ‘good hands’.

What next for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma?

So, what now? What next? The Champions Trophy triumph has added a new layer to the ODI dynamics. Rohit has been, well, the Rohit of the last two and a half years, Kohli has been the Kohli of the last 15. They haven’t lost their mojo. Despite going against his natural grain and sacrificing quantity for impact, Rohit hasn’t lost his match-winning edge. Kohli continues to be the master of the chase, his cheap dismissal in the final notwithstanding. Kohli is as fit as anyone in the Indian team and despite what Shama Mohamed might have said, Rohit is supremely cricket fit.

How can one resist the temptation to look beyond them when they are available? But how can one also resist the temptation to rebuild and transition, given that the next World Cup is two and a half years away? By which time Rohit will be 40 and Kohli just shy of his 39th birthday?

It might seem odd, disrespectful even, to raise this topic at this time, when the focus ought to be on celebrating a roaring campaign, on savouring a second ICC title so quickly after the first, on discussing Rohit’s place in the captaincy pantheon. But competitive sport has little place for sentiment. Emotion and passion need to be balanced by prudence and cold logic. In the same breath, everything need not always be about the longer term only. The here-and-now can’t be entirely overlooked. The trick is in making the process of transition smoother and bump-free because grand servants of Indian cricket deserve that, they deserve a farewell of their choice, to go out on their own terms.

Rohit and Kohli aren’t just among the greatest white-ball batters of their generation or of their country, but the greatest of all time. The former has 32 hundreds, the latter a record 51, sandwiching the legendary Sachin Tendulkar (49). Impressive as those numbers are, their impact is a lot more than 83 centuries collectively. They are leaders and inspirations, trend-setters and exemplars when it comes to commitment, excellence and selflessness. They haven’t run out of steam yet, not by a long way, in 50-over internationals. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar must negotiate a potentially tricky next few months with care and sensitivity because that’s the least these two giants deserve. The very least.

[The Realist]

Care and sensitivity 

 

Gambhir's Retirement Village.

[jf1gp_1]

Bcci should learn from Congress and care and sensitivity they provide to rahul

[tweaker]

Young players can be groomed even with seniors in the team.

Parag,Nitish, Abhishek, Sai,Tilak,Mayank,Harsh,Suthar,Yash could gain lot more with the guidance of Rohit,Virat,Bumrah,Shami,Jadeja etc.

[MechEng]

Gambhir & Agarkar: "Virat we need to talk about your future plans. We appreciate your invaluable services over the last 17 years and do hope that the trail left behind you inspires future talent to shine!"

 

Virat: "Idhar aao"

 

Gambhir & Agarkar: "Coming boss"

 

*Loud chamaat kaan ke neeche given to both*

 

Virat: "Bosedeekay salary chahiye ki nahin?"

 

Gambhir & Agarkar: "Sorry sir, we never meant to insult you."

[Gollum]

Are their egos so fragile that they can't have an honest conversation? Do they not understand anything about succession planning, preparing for an event 3 years down the line? Are they unaware of their age and uncertainty in sports? Does Rohit not see himself in a mirror? 

[R!TTER]

What is this kids' Aanganwadi 

[Suhaan]

No way badada Vada will be in shape for cwc27 ,Kohli too will be quarter of his current ability

This is a given scenario,2007 CWC was the prime example

They should play repeat telecasts or even highlights of that CWC ,how out of sorts Dravid,Ganguly,Agarkar looked

New ones would take there time,it's on BCCI to inform them that they are not in the plans

Retirement is, yes, their domain,but BCCI has to do their thing

You can flex your muscles in international cricket matters but fail when you have to deal with your own egoistic oldies

[Lone Wolf]

Imagine the shame in watching two 40 year olds playing a WC together in a cricket crazy nation with unlimited talent at disposal

A first round exit would be well deserved & absolute justice with this clown show.

[MechEng]

3 hours ago, Gollum said:

Are their egos so fragile that they can't have an honest conversation? Do they not understand anything about succession planning, preparing for an event 3 years down the line? Are they unaware of their age and uncertainty in sports? Does Rohit not see himself in a mirror? 

 

Rohit looking at himself in the mirror: "Sheesha ho ya dil ho aakhirrrr, toot jaataa Hai, toot jaata Hai, toot jaata hai...."

Edited March 13 by MechEng

[cowboysfan]

honestly dont care how long they play ODIs but Test cricket is the greatest of sports and it has already exposed both of them-their reflexes are not their anymore for Test cricket.

[Ultimate_Game]

Don't really get the "negotiating" part. Selectors and BCCI are not negotiating Israel-Palestine or Russia-Ukraine deals. They're simply tasked to pick the team which is most suited to win. The simple line of discussion should be as follows:

 

"You folks did a great job in CT and have been great servants of India cricket. Have you thought of the future? The next WC is 2.5 years away and you'll be 40 at the time and we think we need to groom youngsters like Jaiswal, and give the team time to gel as we don't play too many ODIs. What are your thoughts on that? We want you to help youngsters be successful and work towards a seamless transition so we can be favorites for the 2027 WC. We need your support and it would be wonderful to see likes of Jaiswal or Parag or Nitish or Sai Sudarshan do what Rachin has done for NZ in ODIS. Let's plan and work together on how we can do that."

 

After that have a couple of ODI series at home dedicated to Rohit and Kohli, and have a stand in stadiums inaugurated and named after them.

Edited March 15 by Ultimate_Game

[Lord]

They should just do their respective jobs. Won't be the first time seniors are dropped.

[Ultimate_Game]

4 hours ago, Lord said:

They should just do their respective jobs. Won't be the first time seniors are dropped.

 

And it's not as if it's something out of this world. The seniors have been playing for the last 2 decades and will be 40 by the next WC with fading fitness and reflexes. Surely this change is to be expected.

[Zero_Unit]

Its quite clear that both are aiming for 2027 wc. Usually a team takes a bunch of players and prepares the lot for the upcoming wc and if these two are not calling it a quit, they will stick around for the next one. 

[Suhaan]

On 3/15/2025 at 2:24 PM, Lord said:

They should just do their respective jobs. Won't be the first time seniors are dropped.

Thing is as CT has been won, dropping them becomes more difficult

[Lord]

Just now, Suhaan said:

Thing is as CT has been won, dropping them becomes more difficult

That's just an excuse. They are playing Tests too where we have been embarrassed again and again.

 

CT win doesnt reduce their ages. WC is still the biggest prize and we can't have so many oldies in SA. The youngsters need time to get used to things too.

 

 

[Suhaan]

13 minutes ago, Lord said:

That's just an excuse. They are playing Tests too where we have been embarrassed again and again.

 

CT win doesnt reduce their ages. WC is still the biggest prize and we can't have so many oldies in SA. The youngsters need time to get used to things too.

 

 

You are talking as if we don't know it here,I was talking about selectors perspective ,they won't drop them they deliberately procrastinate