Harbhajan Singh has said that players usually know when to end their career. He recalled how his body had given him the signal to stop, a full six years before he formally announced his retirement. Harbhajan told that he will automatically get the answer to when Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have to retire.
Harbhajan said in an interview to news agency PTI, 'Rohit and Virat will get the answer from within themselves. You realize when you reach the point where you have to retire. Harbhajan officially retired in December 2021 but he played his last Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2015, where Dinesh Chandimal scored easily against him, making him realize that perhaps it was time to bid goodbye to red ball cricket.
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What did Bhajji say about RO-KO playing the World Cup?
Harbhajan expressed surprise that if Lionel Messi can play, then why not Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma? Supporting these two great players, he said that if they have the commitment to play then they can play in the ODI World Cup to be held next year. Harbhajan said, 'Whoever the player is, I believe the criteria should be performance, not age.'
He emphasized that the burden of expectations on Kohli and Rohit will be much greater in the World Cup compared to a promising but relatively inexperienced young player like Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Looking at the commitment that Rohit and Kohli have shown so far, Harbhajan said that they can do the same thing that 39-year-old Messi had shown in the recent Football World Cup.
Messi had taken Argentina to the finals on the basis of his talent. Whenever he moved forward with the ball, he used to pierce the defense of the opposing team. When the ODI World Cup is held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia next year, Rohit will be 40 years old and Kohli will be 39 years old.
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'Age should not be considered before talent'
Harbhajan said, 'Virat may be 39 years old but if he is still leaving behind 20-year-old players on the field, then his age does not matter. Just look at Lionel Messi. Even at the age of 40 (39) five players cannot stop him. If a player has such fitness and talent that even five opponents cannot stop him, then we know that talent is paramount.