'Another World Cup if he...' - Muttiah Muralitharan's blunt take on Rohit Sharma's future in white-ball cricket

The debate around the white-ball future of the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has not remained centred in India only but it is drawing reactions from former cricketing legends across the cricketing world. Meanwhile, there are also concerns about Rohit Sharma’s presence in the upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup in 2024.

The discussions on Rohit’s limited-over future have been high-intensity since the conclusion of the ODI World Cup 2023, where India had a very successful run of form before they lost to Australia in the summit clash of the tournament by a margin of 6 wickets.

Meanwhile, the former legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has also joined the list of former cricketing legends who are backing Rohit Sharma to be a part of India’s T20I squad and should play in the T20 World Cup 2023.

"He's an experienced player." - Muttiah Muralitharan about Rohit Sharma

“You look at his ODI World Cup performance. The starts he gave, the kind of strike rates he batted at. He never failed in the tournament. And he's only 36, that's young. He can play another World Cup if he pushes his fitness like Virat,” said Muralitharan in an interaction on the sidelines of the release of his biopic ‘800’.

“Rohit batted with a strike rate of 130 in ODIs, which is not bad for T20. He's an experienced player. You just have to work harder on your fitness after 35. If the desire is there, he'll play. I think he'll definitely play another World Cup. It's on his mind,” he added later.

Apart from Muralitharan, the former legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram also backed both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to be a part of India’s  T20 World Cup 2024.

“The T20 World Cup is just a few months away. I will pick both. They will be the main players for India, no doubt about it. You need a little bit of experience in T20. You cannot solely rely on young guys," said Akram to Sportskeeda.