Shoaib Akhtar urges Hardik Pandya to repay favours with respectful sendoff to Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma
Shoaib Akhtar urges Hardik Pandya to repay faith with respectful sendoff to Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma
Former ace Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has urged Hardik Pandya toshow due respectto Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as the latter approach the twilight of their careers. Hardik, tipped to be the next permanent captain of the T20I side has been urged by Akhtar to show the same respect Virat Kohli showed to MS Dhoni while the latter showed to Sachin Tendulkar. The Indian team is predicted to go through a period of transition as young players are getting more opportunities.
Pandya with a job in hand
"I'm maybe putting pressure on Hardik Pandya through this but he needs to give that respect to Rohit and Kohli. He is on the team because of them. The kind of favours he has got in the team from them should be repaid. And they are legends of Indian cricket, so they should be given due respect before they go," Akhtar told Zee News.
"When Dhoni came, he gave respect to Sachin Tendulkar. When Virat came, he respected Dhoni. When Rohit replaced Virat, he also gave him respect. So, now it's up to Hardik Pandya how he wants to send these two great players off. It's up to him now. And he has to bid them goodbye respectfully. They deserve this respect," added Akhtar.
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According to reports in the media, current skipper Rohit Sharma is all but done for T20Is and will soon announce his retirement from the shortest format. It is also reported that Rohit could be dropped from the ODI format to make way for the younger generations while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) continues to groom players. Rohit has reportedly told the BCCI that he is fine for not getting considered for the T20I format but is still undecided on whether to play the ODIs or not.
While Rohit is surely not in plans for the T20 World Cup, the same can’t be said about Virat Kohli as he continues to impress with age. However, according to reports he too is not in plans for a place in the T20I side but is firmly good to go until at least the 2025 Champions Trophy.
