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India's new head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has backed two of his veterans, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He believes that they still have a lot of cricket left in them and that both could continue until the next World Cup in 2027.
The pair retired from T20I cricket after helping India win the T20 World Cup, which ended the country's long wait for a significant ICC trophy success.
However, Gambhir has shut down any talk he might be about to leave the ODI or test format, insisting that this is a personal decision.
Gambhir has signalled his intent to continue using them by picking them in his one-day squad for the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, where the team will play three T20Is followed by three ODIs.
Both players decided to quit T20I cricket after the success of the World Cup. And, before that, both had, at various times, expressed reservations about how much longer they had left playing top-level careers.
Sharma is now 37, and although Kohli is two years younger, both are approaching what may be described as the veteran stages of their careers.
However, that counts for little as far as their new head coach is concerned. He believes both could continue to the next World Cup, which South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia will co-host, provided they can maintain their fitness and mental readiness.
He has also warned the pair that he expects them to be available for most matches going forward, either in ODI or test format, and that they must cut back on their habit of taking mini-breaks from international cricket when it suits them.
That may explain why, contrary to many expectations, both men were included in the ODI squad for the Sri Lanka tour.
Jasprit Bumrah will sit out the Sri Lanka tour, but he can very much be considered the exception, not the rule when it comes to managing his workload.
In the first case, the selectors and the BCCI do not need to be reminded of his injury record and long history of back problems, which can be attributed to his unique bowling action, which puts unusual strain on his muscles in the lower back region.
He is also one of a kind because of his ability to bowl with accuracy and economy in white-ball cricket, a priceless gift.
Bumrah also indicated that he is prepared to continue playing for India in all formats of the game, and he is being allowed to sit out for the next few weeks to prevent him from being needed more.
While he is guaranteed a place on the team, no matter what happens, Gambhir wants to send a different message to both of his older star names. They need to fight for their place with the same hunger as some younger players.
The fact that Shubman Gill has been named vice-captain of both the ODI and T20I teams now indicates that a long-term candidate to replace Rohit as international skipper may already be lined up.
For Gambhir, there is plenty to keep Rohit and Kohli motivated in the next few months.
Following the Sri Lanka series, India will next be in action in Bangladesh, who they play in two tests and then three T20Is.
The following month, New Zealand will visit for a three-test series. Later in November, it will be time to pack their bags and Head to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar series, which always severely examines any team's international credentials.
India pulled off a historic series win the last time they visited Australia, and the prospect of repeating that feat is enticing.
Once that is concluded, it will be time to prepare for the next international tournament, the Champions Trophy. That is provisionally scheduled to take place in Pakistan, but there are doubts about whether India will visit the country given the diplomatic and political tensions between the two West Asian neighbours.
If that proves to be the case, it would be no surprise if some form of hybrid hosting model, similar to that used for the Asia Cup last year, is followed.
India is currently leading the points table for the World Test Championship and, if they can maintain their position, will be in line to reach the final for a third consecutive time.
They have unfinished business in the competition as far as both Rohit and Kohli are concerned.
In 2021, when it was staged in Southampton, they lost to New Zealand by eight wickets. Last year, this time at the Oval, history repeated itself: another defeat, this time by 209 runs, against Australia.
Travis Head was the Player of the Match, making 163 in Australia's first innings, and he would come back to haunt India again less than five months later.
India went into the 2023 World Cup, which they hosted, as favourites, and they seemed to justify that with a strong run as they sailed their way to the final.
Meanwhile, Australia initially struggled and appeared to be heading home early before embarking on an unbeaten streak that saw them secure their own final place.
A vast, expectant crowd gathered in Ahmedabad, believing India would be crowned champions. However, their hopes were dashed when Head took the match away from them with a brilliant innings of 137.
When Rohit and Sharma limped off the field at the end of the match, and having lost two finals in a few months, they might have despaired of their hopes of lifting any international silverware.
Whilst the T20 World Cup success helped salve some of those wounds, both would undoubtedly love to win the World Cup trophy before they finally retire.
At the same time, it must be appreciated that being a cricket team star in India, where the sport is followed by hundreds of millions of people, is like living in a goldfish bowl. There is virtually no privacy, especially when almost everybody has a phone with a camera ready to capture every move or false step.
And it is arguably tougher for Kohli, who is part of a celebrity couple with a Bollywood actress wife, meaning that they are often front and back page news.
Whilst their fame has brought them great fortune, there is a flip side, as the recent threats to Kohli and his family reveal. Whilst it would be easy to dismiss these as the rantings of keyboard warriors who possess no filters and will remain forever faceless, there are plenty of examples from the world of sports and entertainment where fans have gone too far.
This means that at some point, Rohit and Kohli may want to step off the stage and opt for a quieter life, away from the glare of publicity.
Fortunately for the pair, their future is mainly theirs to decide. Immediate retirement is probably not on the agenda—at least for now, although they cannot just rest on their laurels.
There is a new, hungry generation growing up behind them, waiting to take their place should either show any signs of faltering or allow their standards to drop.
