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Kapil Dev’s bizarre suggestion for Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma after Indian duo rules ICC ODI rankings
Kapil Dev had a rather strange suggestion for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who, just a day ago, were ranked No. 2 and 1, respectively, by the ICC.
At 37 and 38 years old, respectively, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are discovering a new high in their batting. Having announced their retirements from T20Is and Tests, Kohli and Rohit are playing one-day internationals with renewed focus to make it to India’s squad for the 2027 World Cup, which is still two years away. On the back of Kohli’s terrific show in the South Africa ODIs, which saw him hammer 302 runs from three matches and Rohit’s scores of 73, 121*, 57 and 75, the two made it to the top two of the ICC rankings for batters, where Rohit leads the chart, followed by Kohli at No. 2.
Surprisingly, though, the legendary Kapil Dev saw a strange side to it and suggested the two would be better off playing another sport altogether. While Kapil congratulated the two cricketers, he came up with a strange suggestion. “They should play golf,” he said at the launch of the PGTI ‘72 The League’ Golf tournament in Delhi.
Kapil’s quip could be indicative of a post-retirement semi-career plan for Rohit or Kohli. Several retired Indian cricketers, including Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, and others, have taken up golf as a hobby. However, the fact of the matter is that they’re not going anywhere. They plan to continue playing ODIs, resuming with the three-match series against New Zealand in January, before touring England for another short white-ball series.
Kapil, India’s first World Cup-winning captain, also made his stance clear on the much-prolonged IPL vs India debate. As the IPL has emerged as the leading T20 league in world cricket, the advent of other growing leagues has forced players to choose between leagues and playing for their country. And with certain players prioritising leagues, the decision has divided world cricket. Kapil, however, has always been old school, and for him, nothing tops the pride of representing the country.
“I think every individual is different. Yes, everyone loves money, and some players might give priority to league cricket. However, I still believe that playing for India is more important than the IPL. As I mentioned earlier, everyone is entitled to their own opinions and thought processes. So good luck to them,” added Kapil.
