As India stormed into the Champions Trophy 2025 final with a decisive victory over Australia, Shantakumaran Sreesanth made a passionate plea: 'Stop the retirement talk!'
He urged cricket fans to let Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma continue their illustrious careers, envisioning them leading India to Olympic gold in 2028.
Amidst persistent speculation about Kohli and Rohit's future, particularly following their T20I retirement after last year's World Cup, Sreesanth voiced his fervent desire for their participation in the Los Angeles Olympics.
'Everybody's talking about Virat and you know Rohit might be retiring. Please let them keep playing,' Sreesanth told the India Today television channel.
'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.'
With cricket set for its Olympic entry in 2028, the question looms: Will the veteran stars, by then 40 (Kohli) and 41 (Rohit), answer the call?
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Chris Gayle and Faf du Plessis have demonstrated that age is not an insurmountable barrier in the fast-paced world of T20 cricket.
Their continued success in the format, even in their 40s, fuels the speculation and hope that Kohli and Rohit could replicate that longevity and contribute to India's Olympic aspirations.
Meanwhile, Coach Gautam Gambhir addressed Rohit's future with strategic ambiguity. While he avoided direct confirmation, he emphasised impact over mere statistics.
'You evaluate from the runs; we evaluate from the impact,' Gambhir stated, highlighting Rohit's fearless leadership and crucial contributions.
Gambhir defended the veterans, saying that their performance in the 50 over format was never in doubt, despite some Test match struggles.
'They have been exceptional players in this format. They have done it for so many years. So, we had no doubt that they are going to deliver come the big tournaments. And they have exactly done that in this competition.
'So, there was no doubt about their ability, about their experience and about the kind of experience they bring to the table and the kind of calibre and the kind of hunger they bring to the dressing room.
'So, there was no doubt about it what they could do and what they did in this competition.'
As the Los Angeles Olympics approach (July 14 to 30, 2028), will Kohli and Rohit stage a T20I comeback for Olympic glory?
© 2025