Dharamsala, Jun 14 (PTI) India may still have two ODIs remaining against Afghanistan, but conversations about the future are never far away when it comes to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Former England spinner Graeme Swann believes that is simply the reality facing every great player in the latter stages of their career, arguing that even the most accomplished cricketers cannot escape questions about who comes next.
With India set to travel to England in July for a three-match ODI series following the Afghanistan assignment, Swann observed that scrutiny surrounding Rohit and Kohli is only natural as a younger generation begins to emerge.
“Absolutely. I think it’s inevitable with any player when you come to the latter stage of your career, the second half of your career, if you like, that people naturally start looking for your successor, no matter how well you do,” Swann told PTI Videos in an exclusive interview.
“And even if you’re at the top of your game, they’re still looking like, who will be the next Virat? Who will be the next Rohit when they go? That’s very natural.
“And the second you have one or two low scores, everyone starts looking over your shoulder and seeing who’s next in line.
“And obviously, with Sooryavanshi coming through and some of the youngsters, it puts even more onus on the guys, especially at the top of the order for India.” Swann believes the coming weeks could prove significant for Rohit as India continue balancing established stars with emerging talent.
“So I think it’s a huge six weeks for Rohit. But like I said, in the IPL, he looks in great touch and he’s still one of the best players going, let’s face it.
“So if I was an English bowler, I wouldn’t really want to bowl against a Rohit Sharma who’s desperate to prove a point and keep his place.” While discussions around India’s veterans continue, Swann believes both Rohit and Kohli remain formidable propositions for opposition bowlers.
Asked about India’s upcoming ODI assignment in England, the former off-spinner said the series would once again bring the spotlight onto two of the game’s biggest names.
“Yeah, it’s going to be huge. Anytime England play India, it’s a massive series, especially recently.
“And with all the nonsense going on in England as well, I think they’ll really appreciate a bit of spotlight going on the actual cricket rather than off the field stuff.” Asked which of the two veterans would attract greater attention heading into the series in light of the ODI World Cup next year in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, Swann pointed to Kohli’s remarkable 2026 IPL campaign as the 37-year-old scored 675 runs from 16 matches.
Swann also stopped short of describing the England series as a make-or-break assignment for India’s senior batters ahead of the next ODI World Cup.
“From an English point of view, England will hope that Virat and Rohit are sidetracked by a World Cup coming and not thinking about that because that will affect performance.
“India have got to make sure they’re not sidetracked by that. But this is Rohit and Virat. They know what they’re doing and they’ll go out there.
“It should be, touch wood, should be dry and the ball shouldn’t do too much at that time.
“The white ball tends to be easier to bat against than the red ball in England. So it could be very good batting conditions for both of them, which doesn’t augur very well for England.
The conversation inevitably returned to the next generation, with 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi primed for an India debut after receiving a national call-up for the Ireland and England T20I series.
“Yes, he’s a special talent. Like I said earlier, I wouldn’t want to bowl him.
“He’s at that age that he’s completely fearless because he’s not had failure.
“But, you know, having done well before and big runs in the under-19s, going into the IPL and people saying, you know, after he got a couple of starts and then you remember people bowled yorkers and said, ‘Oh, we’ve found him out.
“You can’t do it time and time and time again against world-class bowlers.
“But he got better and better as the IPL went on.
“And those couple of 90s in the playoffs, they were ridiculous.
“I was there for one of them, the one in Chandigarh. It was the most audacious knock from a 15-year-old kid.
“He is world-class and I’m glad I’m not playing anymore.” Swann also admitted he was surprised by India’s decision to move on from Suryakumar Yadav as T20I captain despite the batter leading the team to World Cup success.
“You know, I didn’t see it coming, but I understand that Indian cricket, because of the IPL and because of the time of year that these squads get picked, it almost seemed like it was on the cards, rightly or wrongly, but I think SKY is brilliant.
“I loved his captaincy. I think he’s very good.
“Ever since he stood up to Virat at that time in the IPL, for an Indian player to stand up to a legend like that and just say, ‘Hey, come on, it’s not all about you’, I’ve loved him since then.” Swann was enthusiastic about India’s new left-arm spin entrant Manav Suthar who picked six wickets in his debut against Afghanistan in the one-off Test.
“He is gold dust. I’m telling you this now. And I know people will get carried away saying he’s only played one Test. After he bowled about 10 balls, just watching his action, the way it came out of his hand, everything. He is gold dust.” “He’s a world-class spinner and will be for 10 years. “Just trust me on this. “And I wish he was English.” PTI AS AS AH AH
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