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‘It will be funny if Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are asked to prove themselves in Australia’: Rajkumar Sharma
Rajkumar Sharma supported Kohli and Rohit Sharma ahead of the ODI tour of Australia, stating they have nothing left to prove in their careers.
Virat Kohli’s childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma, has come out in strong support of the seasoned Indian duo, Kohli and Rohit Sharma, ahead of their much-anticipated return to international cricket during India’s ODI tour of Australia. In a pointed message to critics, Sharma said it would be “funny” if players like Kohli and Rohit are still being judged or expected to prove themselves at this stage of their careers.
“Both of them are great players, and they have nothing left to prove,” Rajkumar Sharma told ANI. “The whole of India knows their contribution to Indian cricket, so if they have to prove themselves at this stage, then it will be a very funny thing.”
Kohli, who hasn’t featured in India colours since lifting the Champions Trophy on March 9, is set to return for the three-match ODI series in Australia. The series marks Kohli's first outing since he announced his retirement from Test cricket earlier this year, opting out of the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England.
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Sharma said he has full faith in Kohli’s preparation and expects the batting great to rise to the challenge, especially on Australia’s fast-paced pitches where questions have recently been raised about how well he’ll adapt.
“Virat doesn't have to prove anything, he has achieved everything,” Sharma added. “The way he has played, the way he has won matches for the country — everyone knows his contribution. He is well prepared, and whenever he is well prepared, the results are always good.”
His sentiments were echoed earlier by India's chief selector Ajit Agarkar, who, in a recent interview with NDTV, also dismissed the notion of Kohli and Rohit needing to prove themselves.
"Once they start playing and then you assess as you go forward, they're not on trial. They've achieved all they had to achieve in terms of not just winning trophies but runs, so it's not that if both of them don't get runs this series. That will be the reason they won't be there or if they get 300. That is the reason they play 2027. It's still a long way away," Agarkar said.
The veteran pair will be key to India's plans for the 2025 Champions Trophy and, if Kohli’s recent statement is anything to go by, potentially even the 2027 ODI World Cup — though doubts continue to swirl around that prospect.
India's squad for the Australia ODIs, led by Shubman Gill, includes a mix of youth and experience. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return as senior statesmen, with the likes of Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj forming the core around them.
