Englands star batter and former captain Joe Root recently said legendary batters like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma cannot be dismissed as a threat just because they reached a certain age. Roots comments came after the electrifying performance of the duo in the Asia Cup 2023, where all the senior players stand tall among the leading run-scorers.While the 36-year-old Rohit Sharma is the highest run-getter in the ongoing edition of the Asia Cup with 194 runs at an average of 64.67, Kohli, who will turn 35 in about two months, notched up his 47th ODI century during the Super Four clash against arch-rivals Pakistan and has scored 129 runs so far at an average of 64.50. Virat is just two centuries short of equaling and three short of breaking Sachin Tendulkars all-time record of 49 ODI hundreds, the most by any batsman in the history of cricket.The stylish right-hander underlined the age-defying prowess of Englands top fast bowler and West Indies batting legend Chris Gayle as two instances of why achievement shouldnt be judged by a persons age.In an interview with the Times of India, Root said, “I think its very dangerous just to write off players like Virat and Rohit because of their age. Look at how long Chris Gayle, for example, played T20 cricket. Some of the best players in the world have gone longer, especially in T20 cricket, and have been wonderful with their performances. As long as youre fit, you go on and play”.It might be challenging for teams to find worthy successors, but Root choose not to name the batsmen he believes can take Kohli and Rohits places.The former Indian captain said, “Thats very difficult to answer. Thats not for me to say. The two of them are wonderful players across all formats, leading players, and have both had to shoulder a lot of pressure for a number of years. When it comes to representing India, its impressive how consistent theyve been for such a long period of time. And you know, as a fellow professional, you look at them, you look to learn and take lessons from their game”.Incredible duoVirat Kohli has represented India in 111 Tests, 279 ODIs, and 115 T20 Internationals so far, scoring 25000+ runs in all three competitions, including 77 hundreds.Rohit Sharma, on the other side, has so far represented India in 148 T20Is, 248 ODIs, and 52 Tests, totaling over 17000 international runs. The graceful opener is the only batsman to have three double tons in ODIs and has 44 international hundreds to his credit.
