'Sachin played until 40, Dravid was around till...' - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli poised for extended careers with India'

Saturday marked the end of an era in Indian cricket with the retirement of Shikhar Dhawan. The announcement had been anticipated for some time as the 38-year-old had not played for India since December of 2022. Memories flooded fans' minds of Dhawan's illustrious career, from his iconic Mohali debut to his heroic performances in the 2013 Champions Trophy. His signature thigh slap celebration earned him the nickname Gabbar, and his twirl of the moustache became a symbol of his swagger on the field. As the nation bid farewell to one of its most beloved cricketers, there were tears shed and wishes of success for Dhawan's future endeavors.

But at the same time, Dhawan's retirement also handed a reality check. A realisation that the other two stars with whom Dhawan formed the holy trinity of Indian cricket – Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – could be nearing the end of their careers to. At 35 and 37, Kohli and Rohit recently announced their retirements from T20 internationals after India won the World Cup in West Indies, and who is to say whether next year's Champions Trophy or the World Test Championship won't be their last ICC dance together?

However, as Kohli and Rohit gear up for a challenging Test season ahead of them – they have more matches behind them than in front – former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar envisions them continuing longer than most former Indian cricketers. With workload management being taken seriously in Indian cricket and Rohit and Kohli reaching a stage in their careers where they have earned the right to pick and choose series, Bangar, reckons the two stalwarts of Indian cricket are likely to play a little longer than Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.

"I think Rohit will continue to play as long as his body and fitness allows him to. Because a player of that quality – Sachin played till 40, even Rahul played till 40 – with better fitness standards, more professionals are looking after players. Like a lot of nutritionists also are helping," Bangar said on The Rao Podcast.

"The players' careers are going to get longer, and in that process, if it benefits the Indian team, nothing like it. Even with Virat, depends on his body. The last format that he would give up away will be Test cricket. So, I am sure that you will see Virat playing Test cricket for another five years."

Would Rohit Sharma had retired from ODIs had India won 2023 World Cup?

Bangar refused to believe that Rohit would have given up ODI cricket had India won the World Cup at home last year. India played a perfect… nay, almost a perfect World Cup, steamrolling oppositions en route to winning 10 matches in a row, before losing the all-important final to Australia on November 19. Had things turned out differently, imagine the sight of Kohli and Rohit celebrating back-to-back World Cup wins? Spectacular, isn't it? Then again, there is a section that felt Rohit would have stepped away from ODI cricket had India won the World Cup. Would he though?

"Hard to say, but I think like in 2015, 2019 and 2023, all those three World Cups. They had a dream campaign, before we were outplayed by Australia in the final. They played out of their skins to chase down that score. I would have still believed that because he is leading the team, and he has tasted success now – India still wants to win the World Test Championship – there is something to look forward to. In today's time and age, the World Cup in happening every second year, or every year you have an ICC tournament. I don't think that would have been a factor. India winning the World Cup doesn't mean that Rohit is going to walk away," Bangar pointed out.

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