Former Indian cricketer Yograj Singh believes that great players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should continue playing until the age of 50.
In an interview with ANI, Singh spoke about the retirements of Kohli and Rohit Sharma from Test cricket, sharing his concerns about the future of India’s Test team, which has many young players. He expressed that Kohli's retirement might stem from feeling he has nothing left to achieve, and he criticized Rohit Sharma for retiring too early, similar to the former aggressive opener Virender Sehwag.
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Team of Only Youngsters Won’t Last, India Needs Experience
Yograj Singh expressed concerns about the Indian team's potential decline, noting that it is currently filled with young talent but lacks experience, with only Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja remaining as veterans. He stated,
"If you form a team full of youngsters, it will always fall apart. Maybe Virat feels he has nothing more to achieve. I think Rohit Sharma needed just one person to motivate him daily; for example, someone to encourage him to go for a run at 5 AM. Rohit and Virender Sehwag are two players who retired too early."
He compared the current situation to 2011 when the Indian team faced a collapse due to multiple retirements and removals. He believes history might repeat itself if players like Rohit and Kohli are no longer present to motivate the team. Yograj remarked, "The greatest players should play until they are 50 years old."
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He added,
"When many players were either removed, retired, or coerced into retirement in 2011, the team fell apart and has still not recovered. But everyone has their time. I feel there is still a lot of cricket left in Virat and Rohit.” He concluded with his sadness over their retirements, stating, "No one is left to motivate the youngsters now."
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