‘They can decide when they want to stop enjoying’: Ajaz Patel backs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli amid retirement speculations

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (PTI photograph)

New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel has thrown his weight behind Indian cricket legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, stating that each icons have the fitting to decide their very own ODI futures amid rising hypothesis over their potential retirements following India’s latest Champions Trophy triumph.
Patel, who’s at present in India as a part of New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s delegation, acknowledged the immense contributions of the 2 batting greats and burdened that their choice needs to be revered.
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“They’re the greats of the game. To be honest, I think they can decide when they want to stop playing. They’re well within their rights to go for as long as they want,” Patel instructed IANS. “They’ve both got phenomenal records and they’re both phenomenal players, and I know as a bowler it’s always worrying to be able to bowl to either of them.”
Virat Kohli was in elegant kind all through India’s title-winning marketing campaign in Dubai, scoring 218 runs from 5 matches at a median of 54.50. Kohli’s constant performances performed a pivotal position in India claiming their third Champions Trophy title.

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma additional cemented his legacy as a captain by changing into the second most profitable Indian skipper by way of ICC titles. Under Rohit’s management, India clinched their second ICC silverware in lower than 9 months after successful the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Patel acknowledged India’s dominance within the last, saying, “India just played good cricket on the day, I guess. New Zealand performed really well throughout the tournament and we played some phenomenal cricket. I think the conditions obviously made it tougher as well, but at the end of the day, India played very good cricket and unfortunately we lost on the day.”
With the 2025 version of the Indian Premier League (IPL) set to kick off on March 22, Patel additionally spoke concerning the match’s significance for New Zealand cricketers.
“IPL is a massive tournament around the world and it’s a highly lauded tournament, so it’s always exciting to watch. You get to see some of the best cricket, some of the best players, and obviously the way that it’s run and structured is quite impressive,” he mentioned. “It’s been fantastic for New Zealand players to be able to come over here, challenge themselves, and get exposure on the world stage as well.”