Unfortunate that people who haven't achieved much deciding 'Ro-Ko' future: Harbhajan
Sharjah (PTI) Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh finds it a bit unfortunate that the future of legends like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is being decided by "people who have not achieved much" but he nonetheless expects the duo to carry on till the 2027 ODI World Cup.
The 38-year-old Rohit and the 37-year-old Kohli only play the ODI format now and there has been intense speculation on whether they would be able to continue till the World Cup in South Africa given the shrinking ODI calendar across the cricket-playing world.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar have been non-committal on the possibility but the two players have dropped ample hints to suggest that they intend to fight for their place.
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"It is beyond our understanding. I may not be able to answer because I have been a player myself and what I have seen has happened to me as well. It has happened to many of my teammates but it is very unfortunate. We don't talk about it or have a discussion about it," Harbhajan, part of the expert commentary panel at the ongoing DP World ILT20 Season 4, said in an interaction here.
"I am so happy when I see a player like Virat Kohli who is still going strong. It is a bit unfortunate that those people are deciding about their future who have not achieved much," India's fourth-highest Test wicket-taker with 417 scalps added when asked whether the two are being handled well.
There is still over a year left before the first ball is bowled at the World Cup but Harbhajan has backed Rohit and Kohli to be in imperious form during the showpiece and set benchmarks for the next generation.
Kohli has struck back-to-back hundreds at home in the ongoing South Africa series, while a leaner Rohit has reeled off two fifties and a 121 not out in his last four innings.
"They have always scored runs and have always been great players for India, they have done extremely well as batters and are leaders of the team. I'm so happy for them, they are going very, very strong.
"Not just going strong but setting the example for the younger generation to follow and what it takes to be a champion. So, well done Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for setting the right example," the 45-year-old added.
Play on good tracks at home
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India's recent home Test struggles have left observers of the game shocked.
Since Gambhir's appointment, India have lost five of their last seven home Tests, including the recent 0-2 defeat to South Africa -- their first home series debacle against the Proteas in 25 years.
Harbhajan said India's biggest concern is the quality of pitches at home.
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"They have to start playing on good tracks. We don't give much chance to our batsmen to make runs. If we tour abroad our batsmen have a chance to make runs because the pitch is good for batting. The bowlers have to work hard.
"That is why I think it is high time that the pitches that have been made in the last 10-12 years are very bowler-friendly especially spinner-friendly. Spinners bowl with the new ball. I think somewhere we need to change that trend.
"I feel it is not the right kind of thing to do. Our team is so solid and we have played well in England. We will win even if we play for five days. Why are you looking to play two and half days of Test cricket?" he asked.
On the Guwahati Test, that lasted full five days, he added: "We saw in Guwahati that the pitch was very good but there we didn't play well on that pitch because we are not used to playing for five days in Test cricket."
Harbhajan said modern cricketers lack patience because of excessive T20 exposure and tracks like the one used in the opening Test in Kolkata against South Africa will compound problems.
"...barring two or three of them, the others don't really have that much patience anymore. If we will continue to play on such tracks...it is no more interesting for anyone."
Harbhajan further said India can't produce a strike spinner on under-prepared rank-turners.
"We have done a lot of bowling, we understand a little bit of cricket which we have learnt in 20 years. I feel it's high time we start playing on good tracks in India, simple as that."
Turning to ILT20, Harbhajan said the league and the UAE Cricket Board deserve credit for expanding the game's footprint across the region.
"This year is even better because some of the players are from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The UAE Cricket Board has done a great job. Not only UAE players but players from other neighbouring countries also come here to play.
"They get a chance to play with big players. It's a great opportunity for them," he concluded.
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'Ab kya hoga, ye rab jane...': Tharoor takes dig at failed US-Iran talks in Pakistan
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New Delhi (PTI): Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday took a swipe at the "failed" US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan with an Urdu couplet, saying only god knows now what will happen.
"Ab kya hoga, ye rab jane; Na woh mane, na ye mane (only god knows what will happen now as both sides did not agree)," Tharoor said on X, tagging a post-talks video clip of US Vice President J D Vance, who led the American delegation at the negotiations in Islamabad.
The United States and Iran failed to reach a peace deal at their historic 21-hour talks in Pakistan, leaving the fate of a tenuous two-week ceasefire in doubt, with both sides attempting to hold each other responsible for the collapse of the negotiations.
अब क्या होगा, ये रब जाने
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 13, 2026
ना वो माने, ना ये माने https://t.co/DYrXpa7C8h
Vance said the Iranian side did not accept Washington's terms for ending the war even as the US presented its "final and best offer".
Hours after the talks collapsed, US President Donald Trump said on social media that the negotiations with Tehran failed as "Iran is unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions".
Trump said the US Navy will actively interdict any vessel in international waters found to have paid tolls to Iran for transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas).
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of the Iranian negotiation team, said it is for the US to decide whether it can "earn our trust or not".
The Iranian foreign ministry, without elaborating, said the US side resorted to "excessive" and "illegal demands".
The failure to reach an agreement has dimmed the prospect of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to stabilise the global energy marke
