&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Harbhajan Singh backs Rohit and Kohli to play 2027 ODI World Cup")
Harbhajan Singh has stepped into the ongoing debate around Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s ODI future, and he didn’t hold back. The former India off-spinner believes the conversation has become unnecessary and unfair, especially when it’s being driven by people who haven’t achieved even a fraction of what the two senior players have done for Indian cricket.
He made his point straight. Rohit and Kohli are still performing, still winning games, and still carrying the kind of experience you can’t replace overnight. Harbhajan said both players deserve to continue in ODIs till the 2027 World Cup.
"It is beyond our understanding. I may not be able to answer because I have been a player myself, and what I have seen has happened to me as well. It has happened to many of my teammates, but it is very unfortunate. We don't talk about it or have a discussion about it," Harbhajan said during the commentary at the ongoing DP World ILT20 Season 4.
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Once he addressed that, Harbhajan turned his attention to something that has bothered many former players: Indian Test pitches. And here’s where his tone became even more direct. He said the quality of cricket at home has dropped because the pitches are too heavily tilted towards bowlers. Games are ending quickly, and batters aren’t learning to build long innings. Spinners, too, aren’t getting the chance to develop the patience and skills needed for five-day cricket.
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Harbhajan believes India needs to move away from rank turners and return to proper Test-match surfaces. When the ball behaves normally, and the pitch lasts all five days, players learn to think better and adapt. That’s how you produce world-class cricketers, not by playing on tracks that crumble on day one.
He also pointed out that modern cricket is already dominated by T20s, where everything is fast and aggressive. Because of this, patience and technique are becoming rare. If pitches also become extreme, then players lose the opportunity to grow in the toughest format of the game.
