‘Dangerous To Write Off Players Like Virat and Rohit Because Of Their Age’ Reckons England Batter Joe Root
New Delhi: English batter Joe Root has recently opened up on the Indian great batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and said they can’t be dismissed as a threat just because they have hit a certain age. Skipper Rohit Sharma and ace batter Virat Kohli have been in outstanding form ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023 which is going to be played in India in the months of October and November.
Both star batters have done well in the Asia Cup 2023. Rohit with 3 consecutive half-centuries, and Kohli with a tremendous century against Pakistan helped their side to reach the 10th continental showpiece final.
In a recent interview with Times of India (TOI), Joe Root was asked about the two senior players and said that it would be a mistake to write of those two players going into the premier ICC tournament. Root in the interview praised both the batters and expressed that as long as they are fit, they should be allowed to continue with the Indian team.
“I think it’s very dangerous just to write off players like Virat and Rohit because of their age. Look at how long Chris Gayle, for example, played T20 cricket. Some of the best players in the world have gone longer, especially in T20 cricket, and have been wonderful with their performances. As long as you’re fit, you go on and play.”
“Jimmy Anderson is a perfect example you look at. He is over 40, he’s still performing exceptionally well. We’re very fortunate that we’ve not lost out on that because we think he’s too old. He’s still playing and he’s still leading our attack. And we’re using all that experience and skill to our advantage. We’re seeing him as a talent and ability and a wonderful player on his own,” Root continued.
After completing the milestone of 10,000 ODI, India skipper Rohit Sharma added another feather to his cap — in partnership with his predecessor Virat Kohli.
The two Indian batting heroes became the fastest non-opening (Rohit opens the inning) duo in One-Day International cricket to complete 5,000 runs as a pair during the Asia Cup Super 4 match against Sri Lanka at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium on Tuesday.
The duo surpassed the legendary West Indies pair of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, who held the previous record to reach 5000 ODI runs in 97 innings.
The Rohit and Virat duo achieved this feat in the 86th ODI inning batting together. Both batters have raised 18-century partnerships and 15 half-century stands at an average of 62.47.
Their highest partnership came in 2018 when the right-handed duo added 246 runs against Australia at Guwahati to chase down a daunting target of 323.