"I don't believe too much in last time, first time" - Sourav Ganguly on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma potentially playing their last ODI World Cup

Sourav Ganguly has highlighted that he doesn't believe in the emotional talk around Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma potentially playing their last ODI World Cup later this year.

Kohli and Rohit have won a World Cup apiece in their illustrious careers, with the former winning the 2011 ODI World Cup and the latter winning the 2007 T20 World Cup. However, they haven't won a World Cup as a pair and will want to do so in the 50-over extravaganza to be played in India.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Sourav Ganguly was asked about his thoughts on stalwarts like Kohli and Rohit potentially playing their last ODI World Cup, to which he responded:

"I don't believe too much in last time, first time. I believe in performances. I think they are 34-35, I don't know what's going to happen in the next World Cup. There are world tournaments every year - T20 cricket, 50-over cricket."

The former Indian skipper pointed out that the two modern greats will want to take the Men in Blue to the trophy:

"It's not like as in the past when we started - one every four years and then the Champions Trophy came in. So it's about performances and I am sure Rohit as captain and Virat will be wanting to make it a big one not from a personal point of view but from winning it. I think that's the biggest."

India have not won an ICC event since the 2013 Champions Trophy. While the likes of Virat and Rohit have stood out with their individual performances, they haven't been able to take the team to the title.

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"The World Test Championship was also a very important stage" - Sourav Ganguly says players need to deliver on the big stage

Rohit Sharma scored five centuries in the 2019 World Cup but failed in the semi-final.

Sourav Ganguly highlighted that it is important to deliver the goods in crunch situations:

"We at times forget that it's not just about hundreds, it's not about having a good tournament, it's about also doing it at the right time. The World Test Championship was also a very important stage to do it and good teams have players who do it on the big stage."

Ganguly concluded by citing examples of players who have stood out on the big stage:

"Ricky Ponting did it in 2003. Matthew Hayden did it in 2007. For Australia, in 2015, players stood out. Big teams will have players standing up in big matches. For India, MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir in the final in 2011, what knocks they were - Wankhede Stadium, packed house, it can't be more pressure than that."

Ricky Ponting smashed an unbeaten 140 in Australia's 125-run win in the 2003 World Cup final against India. Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni scored 97 and 91* respectively in India's 275-run chase in the 2011 World Cup final.