New Delhi: As cricket prepares for its highly anticipated return to the Olympics at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, two of India’s cricketing legends, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, have been encouraged to extend their careers and aim for a gold medal in the prestigious event.
Both players are nearing the twilight of their careers, having already retired from T20 Internationals last year after their World Cup victory. Their recent performances in Test cricket, particularly in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, have also faced some criticism.
Despite their advancing years, the two cricketing icons still have an opportunity to secure another ICC title, with India reaching the final of the ongoing Champions Trophy, where they will take on New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday. Former India cricketer S Sreesanth believes that Kohli and Rohit should be included in India’s squad for the LA Olympics.
“Everybody’s talking about Virat and you know Rohit might be retiring. Please let them keep playing. We are going to win the Olympics because there is nothing like an Olympian Virat and Olympian Rohit winning the gold medal for the country,” said Sreesanth.
Kohli has been in excellent form during the Champions Trophy, accumulating 217 runs at an average of 72.33 from four matches. Meanwhile, Rohit has yet to score a big knock, though he has been giving solid starts at the top of the order.
Sreesanth also commended fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who recently made his return to international cricket after a lengthy recovery from an ankle injury.
“Shami is one of the biggest fighters. I remember seeing him bowl at the nets. I used to tell him, ‘Shami, you will go a long way’, and I like it a lot because of the way he has upgraded himself,” he said.
Shami has claimed eight wickets in four matches and is currently the second-leading wicket-taker in the ongoing tournament, trailing New Zealand’s Matt Henry, who has taken 10 wickets so far.
