Ajit Agarkar told to break friendship with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli to drop them from team
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Legendary Australian skipper Steve Waugh has suggested that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma be cautious, as he stated that the game is bigger than the individual.
He has also suggested that the Chief Selector remain honest with his players about their future.
Rohit Sharma shines on comeback
Indian legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma made their international comeback last month during India's tour of Australia. Rohit Sharma made a commendable comeback with 202 runs across three games and batted with an average of 101.
Virat Kohli, on the other hand, had two ducks and then scored a stunning 74* in the final match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Steve Waugh gave some advice to the Indian greats, as well as the Indian Chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
"You can't put yourself above the game" - Steve Waugh's advice to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
Steve Waugh, the greatest among Australian captains, shared a couple of key pieces of advice with three of India's most prominent faces in cricket of the present day. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, whose ODI futures are in the hands of the BCCI Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar, have received contrasting suggestions.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirement from the Test as well as the T20I formats, and the duo are now aged 37 and 38 years respectively, and will aim to play the World Cup despite the two nearing the twilight years of their careers.
"The players have to take some responsibility and realise that the game is bigger than the individual. You can't put yourself above the game. You’ve got to realise that the game moves on and someone else will take your place. You’re not irreplaceable. So I think the players can't dictate the game. At the end of the day, the chairman of selectors has got to make a call for the better," Waugh told senior journalist Vimal Kumar when asked about Kohli and Rohit on their remaining careers.
"You got to have some distance because sometimes you have got to make a tough call" - Waugh's contrasting suggestion to the Indian selector
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are both likely in the race for the 2027 ICC World Cup despite them being around 39 or 40 years old until the next World Cup. The responsibility of the selections would remain with the selector, Ajit Agarkar, in the series that precedes the World Cup.
He has advised that, as a selector, he should not be too close to his players since that makes the decision to remove any player from the team a tough call. "You’ve got to be open and honest with the players as chairman of selectors. You need to have input. I don’t think you can afford to be too close to the players. You got to have some distance because sometimes you have to make a tough call," said Steve Waugh.
"Every chairman is different in the way they go about it. I hope Ajit Agarkar has a good relationship with the players, but he's got to have some distance as well. Communication with experienced players is very important—Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma – what are you thinking? At the end of the day, the chairman of selectors has got to make a call," he added.
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India National Cricket Team Virat Kohli Steve Waugh Rohit Sharma Ajit Agarkar BCCI Australia National Cricket Team India vs Australia
