Veteran stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been the biggest names in Indian cricket for close to two decades now. Both players have played key roles in India’s title wins and are now heading into the twilight of their legendary cricket careers.
Indian duo is gearing up for the three-match ODI series against West Indies with an eye on the next ODI World Cup in 2027. Rohit and Virat are looking forward to playing in the tournament before hanging up their boots.
There is no doubt that Kohli and Sharma enjoy tremendous fan support wherever they play. With their career close to winding down, there are many fans who are of the opinion that they will stop watching the sport after their favourite stars retire from the game. The pair, termed ROKO, will be 40 and 39 in 2027.
Former opener Virender Sehwag was asked about the popularity of the game once the iconic duo retires. “Virat or Rohit’s fans say that they will stop watching the game after their retirements. They can also say that we watch it for our favourite stars. But the same was said during the playing days of Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, and Sachin Tendulkar,” Sehwag told News 18.
“But the fans continue to watch the game, because earlier it was only on TV that you could watch. Now the game can also be seen on mobile, which has made it easier.”
Former India batter feels game keeps surviving despite star players’ retirements
Coming back to the topic of fans leaving the sport once their stars retire, Sehwag said, “So, if a player retires from the game, some fans do stop watching. There were people who also told me that they didn’t enjoy cricket much after my retirement. If that were the case, then the game of cricket would have ended a long time ago.”
Virender Sehwag, who retired in 2015 following a glorious career spanning 16 years, is the first and only Indian batter to score two triple centuries in Test cricket. He also held the record for the highest score in ODI cricket for three years.
The batter scored 219 vs West Indies in Indore, going past the 200 posted by Sachin Tendulkar in Gwalior, just a year and a half earlier. Sehwag’s record was eventually broken by Rohit when he scored 264 against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.