Legendary South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis has expressed his opinions on the participation of Team India stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the ODI World Cup 2027.
Currently, Virat and Rohit are active in just one format as they have already announced their retirement from Test cricket and T20 Internationals.
The ODI World Cup 2027 is all set to be co-hosted by South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. Till the time the tournament arrives, Rohit will already be in his 40s, whereas Virat will be in his late 30s.
Speaking on the duo, Kallis said, “He (Virat Kohli) obviously knows his body when you want to call it quits. Hopefully, he goes out to the bank. He certainly deserves it. Fantastic player (Rohit Sharma) and hopefully he also deserves to go out to the bank”.
The former cricketer also spoke about South Africa`s chances in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. He said that the Proteas need a bit of luck on their side in the global showpiece.
“Well, hopefully this tournament now will give the guys a head start on that tournament. And they need a little bit of luck to win it. Hopefully, things fall in place for us,” he said.
He also said that the SA20 has been helping young players to play along with older players and work with the international coaches as well.
“I think it`s (SA20) been good for South African cricket, younger guys are getting to play with older players. They`re working as some international coaches and playing in front of big crowds. So hopefully it will carry on growing up to it,” concluded the 50-year-old former cricketer.
Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, South Africa has been placed in Group D along with the teams such as Afghanistan, Canada, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
They will open their campaign against Canada on February 9 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
South Africa T20 World Cup 2026 squad: Aiden Markram (captain), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Jason Smith.
(With ANI Inputs)
