Big statement! Sachin Tendulkar on life after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma: says 'contenders are ... '

NEW DELHI: Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar delighted fans on Monday by hosting an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit, giving them a rare chance to interact directly with the batting maestro. From cricketing memories to thoughts on the present-day game, the session sparked a wave of nostalgia and insightful exchanges.One fan revisited a famous comment Tendulkar made more than a decade ago, when he predicted that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma would carry his legacy forward. The fan asked, “You had said around 2010 that Kohli & Rohit will carry your legacy and you were bang on. Now who do you feel is well suited to carry it further?”Tendulkar responded warmly: “Yes! Virat and Rohit have made India proud on many occasions. Indian cricket is in good hands and they played well in England. There are many contenders to take the legacy forward.”Both Kohli and Rohit have often acknowledged Tendulkar’s influence on their careers. The most iconic moment came after India’s 2011 World Cup triumph, when Kohli and his teammates carried Tendulkar on their shoulders in a tribute that became a symbol of the transition of eras in Indian cricket.Today, with both Kohli and Rohit having retired from T20Is and Test cricket, their focus has shifted solely to the ODI format. Fans now await their return to action, eager to watch the duo anchor India’s batting once again.Their immediate assignment will be a three-match ODI series against Australia in October, with fixtures in Perth (Oct 19), Adelaide (Oct 23), and Sydney (Oct 25). The experienced pair is also set to feature in nine ODIs before the 2026 IPL season — three against South Africa in November and three against New Zealand in January 2026.As Tendulkar noted, India’s cricketing future looks promising with several young talents pushing through. Yet, the continued presence of Kohli and Rohit in ODIs ensures a crucial bridge between experience and the next generation, keeping alive the batting standards set by the Master Blaster himself.