Former Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has expressed his frank opinion amid the ongoing discussions on the future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli regarding the ODI World Cup 2027. Dhoni believes that the yardstick to judge any player should not be his age, but his fitness and current performance. He clearly said that it is not right to question an experienced player only on the basis of age.
What did Dhoni say on age and fitness?
During an event, 44-year-old Dhoni said that fitness is the most important condition to play international cricket. Giving an example, he said that if even a 22-year-old player is not fit, then he should not get a place in the team. At the same time, if a player aged 35 or older is completely fit and is performing well continuously, then his age does not matter. According to Dhoni, senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are capable of taking their own decisions regarding their career. It is no one else’s job to decide whether they will play the next World Cup or not.
Dhoni said that the passion to play for the country and consistent performance on the field should be the biggest factors. If a player is scoring runs continuously. If he is winning matches for the team and meets the fitness standards, then there should be no reason to drop him from the team. He also added that there should be the same criteria for selection for all players, whether young or experienced.
The debate started due to Ajit Agarkar’s statement
In fact, the debate about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli playing the 2027 World Cup had intensified when chief selector Ajit Agarkar had said last year that both the players do not seem fully committed to this tournament. At that time it was also discussed that in 2027, Rohit’s age will be more than 40 years and Kohli’s age will be around 39 years. After this, questions started being raised regarding age.
However, amid all these discussions, Rohit and Virat have answered the critics with their performance. By consistently playing brilliant innings in ODI cricket, both of them have shown that experience, class and ability to win matches matter more than age. Dhoni also stressed on balance in team selection and said that the right mix of youthful enthusiasm and experience is necessary in the team, but this should not be done by compromising on fitness.
This statement of Dhoni has come at a time when the Indian team is making a new strategy for the preparation of the 2027 ODI World Cup. His statement is being seen as a support to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, which clearly indicates that the right player is the one who is fit and is consistently performing well on the field.
