Then again, when it’s serious business, one glimpse of Shastri can make you shake in your boots. With endless talks
around Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Shastri, who has not shied away from sharing his two cents about their future, for
a chance, fired a serious warning at the BCCI. Without naming anyone, Shastri’s message was clear: don’t mess with
Ro-Ko. Reminding the world whose Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma really are, Shastri hinted that cornering them for a
personal agenda is like shooting yourself in the foot.
Also Read: Virat Kohli changed his mind after BCCI expressed displeasure over his public comments in Ranchi
“These two are grandfathers. White-ball giants, toh aise players ke saath aap masti mat karo yaar (don’t needle them).
Agar unka dimaag theek ho gaya na, and sahi button dabaaye na, sab aaju-baaju nikal jayenge (If their brains get fixed
and they press the right button, everyone will run for cover,” Shastri said in a teaser video from his interview
released by Prabhat Khabar.
A very important part of that teaser summed up the tension between Ro-Ko and those trying to sideline them. When the
interview asked, ‘Who are these people having ‘masti’ with them?' Shastri simply said, “The ones who want to”. While
previously, Shastri had always taken the safer side, insisting that Kohli and Rohit would only play in the 2027 World
Cup if their bodies and form held up, this time around, the 62-year-old sounded entirely different. Shastri had even
said that it won’t be easy for Kohli and Rohit to last until the African safari two years from now, with more youngsters
knocking loudly on the door of the selectors’ door. However, this fresh take promises to come as music to every Ro-Ko
‘Can't buy experience in the market’
"You can’t buy experience from the market outside. One is a master chaser, the other one has three double centuries in
ODI cricket,” he added, indirectly calling Kohli and Rohit irreplaceable.
Who else but the BCCI has the power over Kohli and Rohit?
Kohli and Rohit continue to make headlines in Indian cricket, as does the BCCI, and more importantly, the other two
individuals – head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar – who reportedly aren’t getting along
too well with Ro-Ko. A Dainik Jagran recently reported that conversations between Rohit and Agarkar hit a dead-end in
Australia, while Gambhir and Kohli, too, aren’t getting along like before. Visuals of their cold exchange after the 1st
ODI in Ranchi surfaced online, only adding weight to this theory. Besides, Kohli’s decision to play the Vijay Hazare
Trophy strengthens the BCCI’s stance that both he and Rohit must feature in domestic cricket if they wish to continue in
ODIs and stay in contention for the 2027 World Cup in South Africa.