Kolkata,aug 29
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan said that for seniors like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, currently the ODI-only players now, and pacer Mohammed Shami, the challenge would be to have a regular game time to prove fitness ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027.Pathan was speaking to Boria Majumdar on Revsportz. Rohit and Virat, after calling time on their T20I careers last year following the T20 World Cup win, also retired from Test cricket ahead of India’s tour of England, which kickstarted the new ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle of 2025-27 for India. Shami, who has not announced retirement from any format, was not in the squad for the tour to England and was also not included in the Asia Cup T20I squad. His last assignment for India was the victorious ICC Champions Trophy campaign in Dubai back in March. With his fitness concerns that kept him out of the game for over a year after the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup final, it will be interesting to see how Shami is handled across all formats. Speaking to Boria on Revsportz, Pathan said about the trio that for them, the challenge would be to play “regular cricket”.”Otherwise, they are all outstanding. I am 41 years old, and I play in two to three leagues. I’m giving my example because I’m playing three leagues a year, and my challenges are that I do not bowl too much because of retirement. So, say, I play one in November, one in June-July, and then one in October, so stop and start is the main issue for me. My work, anyway, is more about broadcasting and coaching now, but when it is time to play, it is not too regular for me. In these situations, it is difficult to keep your body working,” he said.”
