New Delhi | Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli "should be a part of the Indian team till they are performing", head coach Gautam Gambhir said on Tuesday, claiming that he will have no role in deciding whether the two senior batters are picked for the upcoming Test tour of England.
Speculation is swirling around the 38-year-old Rohit's future as Test captain in England, but Gambhir gave an open-ended reply when asked about the issue. The chatter around Kohli, 36, is not particularly high-decibel but there are questions on his future too.
"First things first, a coach's job isn't selecting the team. It is the job of selectors to select. The coach only selects the 11 who will play a match. Neither those who coached before me were selectors nor am I a selector," Gambhir, who was speaking at the ABP News' 'India At 2047' Summit, tried to steer clear of commenting on the fortunes of the senior players.
When pressed harder, Gambhir replied, "Till the time they (Rohit and Kohli) are performing, they should be a part of the team. When you start and when you end, is your individual decision.
"No coach, no selector, no BCCI can tell you when you should call it quits. If you perform, then why 40, you can jolly well play till 45, who's stopping you?" he quipped.
India will tour England for five Tests starting June 20.
While he didn't give a definitive answer on the duo's Test future, he had a slightly more positive outlook on their ability to carry on till the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.
"That (playing 2027 ODI World Cup) will depend on their performance. Only that can ensure their selection."
Both the batters, who copped significant criticism for their underwhelming performances during the Test tour of Australia, enjoyed a fairly good run of form during the Champions Trophy and Gambhir acknowledged that.
"And what should I say about their performance? The world saw how they performed in CT."
Gambhir also rubbished the concept of planned farewells and insisted that no cricketer puts them on their bucket list.
"No sportsman plays cricket thinking about a grand farewell. Rather than farewell, we should try and remember how and in which situations they have won matches for the country," he said.
"Whether he gets farewell or not isn't important. If he has made contribution for the country, that itself is a big enough farewell. Is there any bigger trophy than love from countrymen? Farewells don't matter to cricketers."