Irfan Pathan added extra excitement to the buzz around India’s upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand with a bold prediction.
Irfan Pathan predicts century feast from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma vs New Zealand
Speaking to meedia at the Mumbai airport, Pathan confidently said that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will dominate the ODI stage once again.
The former Indian all-rounder believes both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will hit centuries in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, starting on January 11 in Vadodara. He also backed young Indian captain Shubman Gill to reach the three-figure mark in the ODI series.
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Pathan said, “One hundred percent (Rohit and Virat will hit centuries). Rohit will also hit a century, and Shubman will do it too.”
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s ODI domination
The reason behind the former Indian all-rounder’s confidence was both Rohit and Kohli’s dominant performance in the recent ODI series against South Africa. Kohli was in sizzling form throughout the three-match ODI series and finished as the highest run-scorer with 302 runs.
He smashed back-to-back centuries and followed it up with an unbeaten fifty, showing great timing, confidence, and hunger for runs. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma also scored two half-centuries and helped India clinch the ODI series 2-1 against the Proteas side.
Irfan Pathan feels sorry for Mohammed Shami
Meanwhile, Pathan was really disappointed with one major selection call for the upcoming ODI series against the Black Caps at home. The cricket pandit slammed the selectors’ call to yet again overlook the senior fast bowler Mohammed Shami for India recall. He questioned the logic behind it.
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Shami has not played for India since the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 triumph, but he has been active and effective in domestic cricket. Shami recently played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, where he bowled long spells and finished as Bengal’s leading wicket-taker with 15 wickets from seven matches.
He has already bowled almost 200 overs since his return, which clearly shows that his fitness should not be in doubt. With over 400 international wickets to his name, Shami’s continued absence has left Pathan worried about the Bengal pacer’s future with the national side.
What is Mohammed Shami’s future?
Pathan was quoted as saying by Revsportz, “The biggest talking point is Mohammed Shami. What is his future? He’s not someone who came yesterday, played a few matches, and left. He has taken 450–500 international wickets, which is a huge number.
If you have taken more than 400 wickets and then you get dropped and questions are raised about your fitness, that happens with everyone.”
Actually, India is now looking beyond Shami and giving chances to younger fast bowlers. In white-ball cricket, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna are being backed alongside Jasprit Bumrah. In tests, Akash Deep and Anshul Kamboj have also been tried.
