“Age is just a number” - Gautam Gambhir opens up on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s ODI future

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s comments on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s ODI future have caught the spotlight. Notably, these comments came from the head coach right before the start of the England tour.

There are a lot of reports suggesting the veteran duo’s retirement from the ODI format after the conclusion of the Australia tour, scheduled to take place in October and November this year. However, Gambhir stated that if players keep performing, age is just a number for him.

Nevertheless, Gambhir also asserted that the current focus for the Indian team is about the T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to take place in India, as that’s the major ICC event that is scheduled, and the ICC ODI World Cup is more than two years away.

"We still have a T20 World Cup before that, and that is again a huge tournament that is going to happen in India, which is in February-March. So the entire focus at the moment, after England, will be on the T20 World Cup, and November-December 2027 is still two-and-a-half years away," Gambhir had told CNN-News18 in an interview.

"And I've always said one thing - if you keep performing, age is just a number," he added.

India’s next ODI series is against Australia in a three-match series Down Under in October this year. Later, they will play against South Africa at home. A few reports suggested that the veteran duo has to take part in the domestic premier tournament, Vijay Hazare Trophy, to stay in contention for selection in the ODI squad.

Under the leadership of Gambhir, India would be making it to the Asia Cup 2025 campaign, scheduled to take part in the United Arab Emirates next month. They are coming into this competition on the back of a 2-2 series finish against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

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