Virat and Rohit are irreplaceable, just like Sachin & Dhoni: Kapil Dev

Former India skipper Kapil Dev has heaped praise on the duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both of whom announced their retirement from T20I cricket in the aftermath of India’s triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean & United States.

The 2024 T20WC saw Kohli win the T20WC for the first time in his career, after a decade full of heartbreaks and near-misses. Rohit was a T20WC winner back in 2007, but the triumph last month was the 37-year-old’s first major trophy as the skipper of the Indian cricket team. 

It was, in many ways, redemption for the Mumbaikar after the heartbreak he and others endured in front of 100,000 + fans in Ahmedabad in the 50-over World Cup final against Australia last year.

Rohit and Kohli leave T20Is as India’s first and second highest run-getters in the format, respectively. They are also one among three batters in history to have amassed over 4,000 T20I runs.

Kapil was full of praise for the duo, whom he compared to two Indian legends of yesteryear: Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni.

“No one can take Virat and Rohit’s place in the Indian team in any format. They have been a huge servant of Indian cricket, and it was a happy farewell for them,” Kapil was quoted as saying by IANS.

“The stature that Virat has made of himself in all formats, he will surely be missed in T20Is. Both are the same as Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni. They are irreplaceable.”

Days after India’s victory in Barbados, Kohli spoke about the special moment he and Rohit shared together moments after the final ball of the World Cup was bowled.

“I don’t know about breaking the internet, but this is the first time in 15 years of playing together that I’ve seen Rohit show so much emotion on the field,” Kohli had revealed. 

“When I was walking up the steps, I was crying, he was crying, and we hugged. For me, that’s going to be a very special memory. 

“Because all said and done, the only goal is this. The only goal is Indian cricket and the Indian flag. And that’s what we take pride in.”

While the duo have retired from T20Is, they are expected to play at least till Champions Trophy 2025 in ODI cricket. 

Both could potentially be in action in the ODI series against Sri Lanka next month.

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